iJlillllllUlilliilUi 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


/ 


POSTHUMOUS  WORKS 


m 


OV   THE 


• 


REV.  HENRY  B.  BASCOM,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

ffine  of  tfie  i3is5ops  of  tijc  iKttrjotiigt  Episcopal  (Efuncf),  ,Sout5. 


ET3ITED   BY  THE 


4# 
REV.  THOMAS  N.  RALSTON,  A.M. 


"  By  it,  he  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."— Paul. 


NASHVILLE,  TENN.: 

^  PUBLISHED  BY  E.  STEVENSON  &  P.  A.  OWEN. 

.  Book  Agents  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

1856. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855,  by 

MRS.    ELIZA    BASCOM, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Kentucky 


m 


4  •     * 

•        •        • 


,.i . . .  •••  •  •  • 


CONTENTS. 


Introdpction,  ..-.--•••••5 

Lectures  on  the  Relative  Claims  of  Christianity  and  Infidelity,  •  15 

Lecture  I,         • " 

■  Lecture  II,  -..----••-  39 
Lecture  III,     ......       ----54 

Lecture  IV, 83 

Lecture  V, 1^2 

Inaugural  Address,  delivered  before  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 

Madison  College,  Uniontown,  Penn., 125 

Glance  at  the  Natural  History  and  Philosophy  of  Agriculture,  as 
indicating  its  prohable  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  the  human 

.  177 

race, -i" 

Centenary  of  Methodism.    A  brief  Address,        ...       -  227 
Clahns  of  Africa ;  or  an  Address  in  behalf  of  the  American  Colo- 
nization Society,     ..--- 247 

Use  and  Abuse  of  Lettered  Attainment.    Address  at  Commence- 
ment, Transylvania  University, 291 

Address  on  Temperance, 307 

Comprehensive  Analysis  of  the  Elements  and  Purposes  of  Litera- 
ture.—Address  on  Commencement  Day, 321 


/ 


>- 

or 

C3C 
CO 

3 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  introducing  to  tte  reading  public  the  Posthumous  "Works 
of  the  late  Bishop  Bascom,  some  remarks  by  way  of  preface  will 
naturally   be  expected  from  the  editor.     To  prepare  for  any 
literary  work  of  value  or  importance,  an  appropriate  preface, 
at  once  concise  and  perspicuous,  minute  and  comprehensive,  is 
justly  considered  a  task  of  difficult  performance.     But  when 
called  upon  to  prepare  for  the  press,  and  introduce  to  the  public, 
the  posthumous  works  of  one  so  eminent  and  distinguished  as 
^        the  late  Bishop  Bascom,  we  must  be  allowed  to  invoke  a  generous 
in      indulgence ;  for  we  feel  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the 
^      delicacy  and  responsibility  of  our  position.     To  meet  the  expec- 
3      tations  and  secure  the  approbation  of  all,  even  of  such  as  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  the  subject,  we  know  to  be  impossible.     A  con- 
scious assurance,  however,  that  so  far  as  we  have  progressed  in 
«$      our  labors,  we  have  spared  no  pains  to  perform  the  task  assigned 
us  to  the  best  of  our  ability  under  the  circumstances,  while  it 
S      allows  us,  with  becoming  difTulence,  to  submit  to  public  scrutiny 
^      the  performance  of  our  work,  at  the  same  time  leaves  us  without 
ui     any  disquieting  apprehensions  as  to  the  result. 

Our  engagement  in  this  labor  was  not  a  matter  of  our  own 
seeking.  When  first  solicited  to  undertake  it  by  the  respected 
widow  of  the  late  Bishop  Bascom,  we  for  a  time  declined,  namlni^ 
several  other  individuals  whom  we  recommended  as  more  suitable 
persons;  but  when  the  request  was  still  urged  upon  us,  and 
especially  when  it  had  been  sanctioned  and  approved  by  reso- 
lution of  the  late  General  Conference,  at  Columbus,  Georgia, 


461:1 


z4  ,  c>2 


VI  INTRODUCTION, 

we  addressed  oui'self  to  the  task  before  us  without  hesitation  or 
delay. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  notwithstanding  the  great  fame  of 
Dr.  Bascom  as  an  orator,  comparative!}-  little  had  ever  been 
published  from  his  pen  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  This  resulted 
in  part  from  his  peculiar  nervousness  of  sensibility,  combined 
with  the  exquisite  delicacy  and  refinement  of  his  taste.  Such 
was  the  acuteness  of  his  sensibility,  that  he  instinctively  shrunk 
from  submitting  his  productions  to  the  scrutiny  of  public  criticism, 
so  long  as  he  could  see  anything  in  them  in  the  slightest  degree 
defective,  or  falling  short  of  the  most  complete  finish.  And  such 
were  the  keenness  of  his  perception,  and  the  rigid  exquisiteness 
of  his  taste,  that  he  could  scarcely  ever  persuade  himself  that 
any  of  his  productions  were  wrought  up  to  that  state  of  finish 
and  degree  of  perfection,  which  met  his  own  ideal  of  what  was 
requisite  and  proper.  However  severe  the  process  of  refinement, 
his  acute  sensibility  could  always  detect  too  much  of  alloy  yet 
mixed  with  the  pure  gold,  to  allow  him  to  be  willing  to  send  it 
forth  for  general  circulation.  Hence,  although  ever  and  anon, 
during  the  course  of  his  brilliant  career,  he  was  called  upon  both 
by  distinguished  individuals  and  reputable  associations,  for  copies 
of  his  sermons  and  addresses  for  publication,  he  almost  Invariably 
declined.  Except  In  shape  of  conference  documents,  when  he 
acted  as  chairman  of  committees,  or  was  called  upon  under 
Imperative  circumstances,  he  seldom  or  never  appeared  before 
the  public  in  print,  with  his  own  consent.  Perhaps  these  con- 
ference papers,  one  inaugural  address,  his  articles  In  the  Quarterly, 
his  small  volume  on  "  Methodism  and  Slavery,"  and  one  volume 
of  sermons  published  a  short  time  before  his  death,  comprise 
about  the  whole  of  his  published  writings.  His  conference 
documents,  however,  were  numerous  and  able.  It  is  notorious, 
that  for  a  long  period  it  seldom  occurred,  whether  in  his  annual 
or  the  general  conference,  that  an  elaborate  report  was  demanded 
on  an  important  and  delicate  question,  when  Dr.  Bascom  was  not 
put  forward  as  chairman  of  the  committee.  Witness  his  famous 
report  on  the  "  Westmoreland  Case,"  at  the  General  Conference 
in  Baltimore,  in  1840;  his  immortal  "  Protest,"  in  New  York, 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll 

in  184-1;  and  his  report  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
"Organization,"  at  the  Louisville  Convention,  in  /1845;  liis 
"  Review"  of  the  "  Reply  "  to  the  "  Protest,"  and  other  pa))ers 
that  might  be  named.  These  documents,  however,  were  suffi- 
ciently numerous  and  extensive  to  evince  that  their  author  was 
not  only  the  accomplished  pulpit  orator  that  public  fame  had 
enrolled  him,  but  also  the  profound  thinker  and  the'  masterly 
logician. 

The  great  fame  of  Dr.  Bascom  as  an  orator  and  public 
lecturer,  and  the  admiration  with  which  entranced  thousands 
hung  upon  his  pulpit  eloquence,  may  readily  account  for  the 
eager  anxiety  which  had  possessed  the  public  mind,  years  before 
his  death,  for  the  publication   of  his   sermons   and  addresses. 
And  what  contributed  no  little  to  the  fanning  of  the  flame  of 
this  anxiety,  was  the  peculiar  character  of  his  oratory.     His 
mode  of  thought  and  style  of  diction  were  both  unique.     He 
neither  laid  down  his  propositions  and  principles,  and  arrayed 
his  arguments  and  illustrations,  according  to  the  regulai",  sys- 
tematic, and  measured  order  of  the  schools,  nor  shaped  his 
sentences,  or  rounded  his  periods,  molded  his  metaphors,  or 
chiseled   his   figures,  according   to   any  studied,  staid,  minute 
regard  for  the  punctilious  rules  of  the  rhetorician.     Fired  by  the 
heat  of  his  own  genius,  and  soaring  aloft  on  the  proud  wing  of 
his  own  glowing  imagination,  the  strait-laced  formula  of  the  mere 
schoolman,  and  the  petit  niceties  of  the  mere  logomachist,  liko 
the  buzzing  of  an  insect  amid  the  rushing  of  a  tornado,  were 
overshadowed  and  obliterated  amid  the  lightning-glance  of  his 
thought,  and  the  earthquake-power  of  his  argument!     In  his 
oratory  there  was  a  startling  vividness,  —  a  magnificent  grandeur 
that  enchained  and  transported  his  auditory,  —  that  so  captivated 
the  mind,  and  enkindled  the  imagination,  with  the  scenes  of 
beauty  and  the  visions  of  sublimity,  which,  by  the  magic  influence 
of  his  pencil,  were  bursting   to  view  in   successive  flashes  upon 
the   canvass,   as   to  leave  the  mind   almost  overwhelmed   and 
paralyzed  by  the  force  of  the  shock  !     And  when  it  was  over,  so 
overpowering  had  been  the  influence  of  these  sublime  panoramic 
exhibitions,  that  each  successive  one  had  almost  obliterated  the 


•  •• 


VIU  INTRODUCTION. 

memory  of  its  predecessor,  leaving  the  mind  in  a  state  of 
electrified  excitement  of  anxiety  to  recall  the  bright  visions  that 
had  passed  before  it,  but  without  the  power  to  perform  the  task. 
Hence,  the  general  wish,  under  such  circumstances,  that  Avould 
naturally  arise  for  the  publication  of  those  masterly  productions. 
Sermons  and  addresses,  possessed  of  such  thrilling  interest  and 
matchless  power  in  their  delivery,  we  wish  to  have  before  us  in 
print,  that  we  may  pause  and  gaze  at  leisure  upon  their  beauties, 
and  dwell  upon  their  excellencies,  —  treasure  them  up  in  our 
minds,  and  preserve  them  for  future  meditation  and  profit. 

Such  being  the  character  of  his  oratory,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  publication  of  a  volume  of  his  sermons,  a  few  years  ago, 
should  have  excited  so  general  an  interest ;  and  that  the  work 
should  have  commanded  so  rapid  and  so  extensive  a  circulation. 
Multi[)licd  thousands,  who  had  been  charmed  and  edified  by  the 
delivery  of  these  discourses,  were  now  impatient  to  re-enjoy  an 
intellectual  and  spiritual  repast,  the  memory  of  which,  in  by-Tone 
years,  they  cherished  with  so  much  pleasure.  The  general 
impression  had  gone  abroad,  too,  that  the  volume  published  was 
soon  to  be  succeeded  by  others  of  a  similar  character.  Expec- 
tation to  this  effect  was  rife,  and  the  public  anxiety  had  been 
excited  on  the  subject,  at  the  time  Dr.  Bascom  was  set  apart 
to  the  Episcopacy,  in  1850.  But  in  a  few  months  after  this 
event,  amid  the  strength  and  vigor  of  his  laborious  and  brilliant 
career,  he  fell  in  death,  and  that  eloquent  voice  was  silenced  on 
earth  forever.  In  his  death  the  church  lost  one  of  her  ablest 
ministers,  —  the  pulpit,  tlie  cause  of  virtue  and  religion,  one  of 
its  mightiest  champions.  But  he  died  in  peace,  expressing  his 
unshaken  confidence  in  "  Almighty  Goodness,"  for  salvation. 

No  sooner  had  the  general  shock  occasioned  by  his  death 
subsided,  than  the  greatest  anxiety  was  manifested  for  the  publi- 
cation of  the  manuscripts  of  the  eloquent  Bascom,  which  were 
supposed  to  be  numerous  and  valuable.  At  the  first  cursory 
examination  of  his  papers  by  one  or  two  of  his  special  friends,  it 
was  supposed,  and  tiie  impression  went  abroad,  that  there  was 
but  little  to  be  found  in  a  state  of  preparation,  or  that  could,  in 
a  suitable  manner,  be  prepared  for  the  press.     This  was  matter 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

of  deep  and  general  regret,  for  it  was  known  to  some  of  liis 
friends  at  least,  that  be  had  frequently  spoken  of  bis  manuscripts, 
to  the  amount  of  several  volumes,  as  being  nearly  as  well 
prepared  for  the  press  as  he  expected  ever  to  be  able  to  render 
them.  And  especially,  was  it  known,  that  among  other  lectures 
and  addresses,  on  pliilosophical  and  other  subjects,  he  had 
frequently  referred  to  his  "  Lectures  on  the  Relative  Claims 
of  Christianity  and  Infidelity,"  (which  he  bad  delivered  in 
several  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States,)  as  tho 
master  production  of  his  life. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  it  was  ascertained,  on  further 
and  more  careful  examination,  that  the  first  impression  as  to  the 
extent  of  bis  available  manuscripts,  was,  fortunately,  erroneous. 
As  well  as  we  can  7ioio  judge,  there  will  be  about  three  volumes 
of  his  posthumous  works,  the  size  of  the  published  volume  of  bis 
sermons.  These  will  consist  of  sermons,  and  lectures  and 
addresses,  on  philosophical  and  other  important  subjects. — Among 
these,  are  his  celebrated  Lectures  on  Infidelity,  which  are 
embraced  in  the  present  issue. 

It  may  be  due  to  the  public  as  well  as  ourself,  to  give  some 
idea  of  the  condition  in  which  we  find  these  manuscripts,  and 
the  amount  and  difliculty  of  the  labor  devolving  upon  the  editor. 
Suffice  it  then  to  say,  that  the  manuscripts,  so  far  as  form  is 
concerned,  are  none  of  them  found  in  a  state  of  complete 
preparation  for  the  press.  The  substance  or  matter  has  doubtless 
received  the  finishing  touch  of  the  author.  That  is,  the  maturest 
thoughts,  and  the  most  elaborated  conclusions  of  his  mind  are 
here  presented.  They  are,  however,  in  such  a  state,  that  every 
line  and  word  must  be  rewritten  in  extenso.  They  are  found  in 
the  author's  own  peculiar,  small,  (and  to  one  not  familiar  with 
it,)  exceedingly  diflicult  band ;  and  the  pages  are  so  crowded  with 
corrections,  erasures,  interlineations,  and  reinterlineations,  that 
to  decipher  and  transcribe  them  correctly,  great  care  and  pains- 
taking are  requisite.  Besides,  as  the  general  rule,  the  division 
into  paragraphs  and  the  punctuation  are  to  be  attributed  to  the 
editor.  As  to  the  punctuation,  however,  in  some  instances, 
•we  have  not  taken  the  libertj-  to  change  it,  even  when  we  con- 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

sidered  it  variant  from  the  best  established  rules  of  the  art ;  for 
the  simple  reason,  that  it  accords  better  with  the  author's  peculiar 
manner ;  and  -where  wo  do  not  consider  it  radically  erroneous, 
we  choose  to  let  it  stand,  as  more  expressive  of  his  own  mode  of 
thought,  and  peculiarly  emphatic  style  of  expression.  In  some 
instances,  we  have  taken  the  liberty  of  dividing  a  very  long 
sentence  into  two  or  more  shorter  ones.  This  is  sometimes 
effected  merely  by  a  change  of  punctuation,  and  in  other  cases, 
by  a  transposition  of  some  of  the  adjuncts,  or  a  change  of 
connective  particles.  But  in  all  cases,  we  have  been  careful  to 
preserve  the  identity  of  the  sense  and  style;  and  shall  retain 
the  original  manuscript,  as  our  security  against  any  charge  of 
inattention  or  unfaithfulness  in  the  work  assigned  us. 

It  will  readily  occur  to  the  reader,  that  in  the  matter  of 
deciding  what  ought,  and  what  ought  not  to  be  published,  a  task 
of  delicacy,  and  one  for  the  performance  of  which,  a  maturity 
and  discretion  of  judgment,  beyond  what  we  have  any  right  to 
claim,  are  requisite.  But  on  this,  as  on  other  points,  we  have 
acted  in  view  of  our  best  light,  and  reserve  all  further  defence 
till  occasion  may  demand  it. 

A  brief  notice  of  the  contents  of  the  present  volume,  may  not 
be  out  of  place.  It  opens  with  five  Lectures  on  the  "  Relative 
Claims  of  Christianity  and  Infidelity."  These,  we  find  in  the 
manuscript,  in  the  form  of  three  lectures,  but  as  it  could  be  done 
without  any  violence  to  the  connection,  for  the  sake  of  ease  and 
convenience  to  the  reader,  we  have  divided  them  into  five 
lectures.  When  we  reflect  on  the  number  and  variety  of  the 
points  of  controversy  mooted  between  the  friends  and  opponents 
of  Christianity,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  in  a  single  volume, 
much  less  in  five  lectures  comprising  but  a  fraction  of  a  volume, 
every  point  connected  with  this  subject,  considered  by  some  of 
importance,  should  be  embraced.  To  spread  so  brief  an  argument 
over  so  wide  a  surface,  would  be  so  to  dilute  it,  as  to  render  it 
comparatively  nugatory  and  useless.  Our  author  has  pursued 
a  wiser  method.  He  has,  with  remarkable  discrimination  and 
sagacity,  selected  a  few  prominent  points  in  the  controversy, — 
points  that  are  radical,  and  upon  which  the  whole  question  must 


INTRODUCTION,  XI 

obviously  turn,  and  tbo  settling  of  which  must  necessarily  settle 
the  whole   matter.     Here,  he   has  taken   his  position   in   first 
principles.      He  has  planted  himself  on   universally   admitted 
truths, —  on   incontrovertible   facts,  and  with  great  care,  and 
masterly  clearness  and  force,  has  advanced,  step  by  step,  diving 
profoundly  into  the  depths  of  things,  planting  himself,  at  every 
movement  of  the  foot,  on  solid  rock,  and  rearing  around  him  on 
every  hand  as  he  advances,  a  wall  of  adamant,  impregnable  to 
the  assaults  of  every  assailant,  and  erecting  upon  it  his  own 
death-dealing  artillery,  charged  with  the  thunder  and  lightning 
of   invincible  truth   and  all-conquering  demonstration,  utterly 
scattering  the  hosts,  and  demolishing  the  intrenchments  of  Infi- 
delity !      He   has   commenced   his  argument  by  appealing  to 
undeniable  facts,  admitted  alike  by  the  Infidel  and  the  Christian  ; 
and  from  these,  ho  reasons  upward  and  onward,  in  a  concatenated 
chain  of  argument,  elaborating  in  a  manner  the  most  profound 
and  masterly,  each  successive  process  of  liis  reasoning,  compelling 
Infidelity  to  travel  with  him,  every  step  he  takes,  till  he  reaches 
his  final  and  triumphant  conclusion,  or  renounce  common  sense 
itself!     Without  aiming,  in  this  introduction,  at  anything  like  an 
analysis  of  his  argument,  we  give  it  as  our  judgment,  that  Dr. 
Bascom  has  seized  upon  the  strongest  point  in  the  controversy, 
and  has  conducted  the  argument  in  a  manner  more  thorough  and 
convincing,  than  we  have  anywhere  else  seen  the  same  argument 
presented.     Indeed,  so  far  at  least  as  the  elaboration  of  the 
argument  is  concerned,  we  consider  his  course  remarkable,  as 
well  for  its  originality  of  method,  as  the  clearness  and  solidity  of 
its  logic.     It  were  saying  too  much,  to  pronounce  these  lectures 
against  Infidelity  faultless,  but  to  pronounce  them  unanswerahlei, 
and  to  hazard  the  opinion,  that  none  of  us  shall  live  to  witness 
an  attempt  to  answer  them,  is  only  to  award  the  meed  of  intrinsic 
merit.     If  our  illustrious  author,  by  his  eloquent  sermons  and 
addresses,  has  arisen  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame  as  a  Christian 
orator,   these   lectures   alone,  must  enroll   him  with  the   most 
profound  philosophical  thinkers,  and  the  ablest  logical  reasoners 
of  the  age. 

The  "Address  on  Agriculture"  in  this  volume,  is  remarkable, 


XH  INTRODUCTION. 

both  as  it  regards  the  profound  manner  in  wliicli  the  author 
conducts  liis  invcstiiiation  of  this  interestiii";  theme,  and  the 
laborious  care  with  which  he  has  culled  and  collected  facts  for 
the  establishment  and  illustration  of  his  principles.  Some  of  his 
positions  will  doubtless  be  controverted,  but  no  one  can  read  the 
lecture  without  being  instructed  and  interested  witli  the  fund  of 
information,  the  grasp  of  thought,  and  the  beauty  of  diction  it 
exhibits. 

Passing  over  the  "  Address  on  Temperance,"  the  "  Centennial 
of  Methodism,"  the  "Inaugural  Address"at  Madison  College,  and 
various  other  Addresses  in  this  volume,  all  in  character  with  the 
author's  finest  productions,  we  call  attention  especially  to  the 
famous  "  Address  on  the  Claims  of  Africa."  This  Address, 
substantially  the  same  as  we  have  it  now  before  us,  was  delivered 
in  1833,  in  many  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns  of  the 
United  States,  when  Dr.  Bascom  was  traveling  as  Agent  of  the 
"  American  Colonization  Society."  The  matchless  beauty  and 
eloquence  of  this  appeal  in  behalf  of  Africa,  is  yet  vivid  in  the 
memory  of  thousands,  who  heard  it  as  it  rolled  in  peals  of 
burning  pathos  from  the  lips  of  the  orator,  and  who  will  hail  its 
publication  as  the  revival  of  scenes  of  impassioned  delight  in 
by-gone  years.  Its  power  and  sublimity  are  better  felt  than 
described,  nor  shall  we  impair  it  by  any  attempt  of  the  kind. 
Some  will,  perhaps,  consider  portions  of  it  too  highly  painted, 
but  the  coloring  was  in  the  theme  itself,  and  the  orator,  with  his 
enlarged  viev/s  and  philanthropic  soul,  could  neither  be  true  to 
himself  or  the  cause  he  pleaded,  by  adopting  a  tamer  manner,  or 
painting  in  colors  less  deep  and  glowing.  Not  many  months 
since,  a  celebrated  politician  of  our  country  advanced  the  idea, 
in  an  address  In  favor  of  African  colonization,  that  it  would  not 
be  unconstitutional  for  Congress  to  appropriate  money  to  aid  the 
cause  of  African  colonization ;  —  several  of  our  public  journals 
applauded  this  politician,  and  gave  him  credit,  as  the  Jirst  who 
had  dared  ])ubllcly  to  advocate  this  principle.  Read  tlie  address 
of  Dr.  Bascom,  and  you  will  find  that  in  1838,  he  publicly  con- 
tended for,  and  elaborately  argued  out  the  same  principle  !  Was 
he  not  ahead  of  the  times,  by  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ? 


INTRODUCTION.  XIU 

One  wliosfi  life  has  been  mainly  devoted  to  literary,  scientific, 
or  professional  pursuits,  may  naturally  be  expected  to  infuse  into 
his  works  his  own  peculiar  spirit  and  character.  Tiiis  was 
emphatically  the  case  in  regard  to  Dr.  Bascom.  By  perusing 
the  detail  of  his  life,  and  the  record  of  his  acts  and  doings,  we 
see  the  external  man,  —  we  survey  the  outer  court.  But  by 
retiring  with  him  to  his  closet,  and  perusing  his  works,  Ave  gain 
a  more  intimate  fellowship,  —  we  enter  the  inner  temple  of  his 
soul,  and  read  the  thoughts,  and  catch  the  emotions  of  his  heart. 

The  writings  of  Dr.  Bascom,  though  not  sufficient  to  impart 
to  the  reader  who  never  heard  him,  an  adequate  view  of  his 
eloquence  and  power  as  a  pulpit  orator,  are  well  calculated  to 
reflect  the  character  of  his  mind.  They  lead  us  to  the  sanctum 
of  his  silent  musings,  —  they  admit  us  to  intimate  fellowship  and 
communion  with  his  intellectual  and  spiritual  nature,  —  they 
vividly  impress  us  with  an  idea  of  his  mental  habits  —  his  modes 
of  thought,  and  texture  of  soul.  To  such  as  have  known  him 
in  life,  and  been  fomiliar  with  him  in  social  intercourse,  the 
perusal  of  bis  writings,  now  that  we  can  no  longer  look  upon  his 
manly  form,  or  listen  to  his  eloquent  voice,  is  well  calculated  to 
present  to  the  imagination  a  vivid  picture  of  Bascom  as  he  was. 
Tracing  the  lines  as  they  dropped  from  his  pen,  we  almost  see 
him  ensconced  in  his  studio  —  we  mark  the  movement  of  the 
intense  thought  as  it  stirs  the  brain  wiihin,  and  sits  enthroned 
upon  the  spealcing  countenance,  and  seem  to  be  seated  in  his 
presence,  and  holding  a  personal  interview  with  his  lofty  spirit. 
His  style  may  not  be  deemed  faultless.  An  exuberance  of 
language,  and  an  inattention  to  the  minor  niceties  of  composition 
essential  to  the  smoothly  rounded  period,  may,  in  the  critic's  eye, 
constitute  a  defect ;  but  this  blemish  is  amply  atoned  for  by  more 
important  excellencies.  His  Avrltings  exhibit  a  distinctness  of 
perception,  a  clearness  of  discrimination,  a  depth  and  grasp  of 
thought,  and  a  connected  chain  of  sound,  logical,  consequential 
reasoning,  seldom  equaled.  His  taste  for  the  beautiful,  the 
harmonious,  the  grand,  the  sublime,  was  exquisite.  His  love 
for  the  good,  the  true,  the  noble,  the  pure,  was  intense.  Higher 
aims  than  mere  niceties  of  composition,  engrossed  his  thoughts  — 


xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

more  lofty  aspirations  inflamed  his  genius.  He  reveled  in  the 
rejTion  of  thought  —  thought  intense,  profound,  vast,  important. 
This  was  the  shining  gold  he  coveted ;  and  his  main  object,  as 
it  regards  style,  was,  so  to  clothe  his  thoughts  in  language,  as  to 
impart  to  others  a  clear,  forcible,  and  vivid  impression  of  what 
lie  saw  and  felt.  This  was  the  secret  of  his  power  as  an 
orator.  He  perceived  clearly.  No  man  labored  more  intensely 
than  he,  to  rid  his  subject  of  all  obscurity  and  confusion.  His 
mind  instinctively  abhorred  all  ambiguity.  He  would  submit 
to  nothing  that  lacked  definltiveness.  And  having  gained  a 
clear  and  distinct  perception  of  truth,  ardent  and  intense  as 
were  his  feelings,  he  could  not  but  perceive  and  feel  forciUij, 
and  perceiving  and  feeling  thus  himself,  he  labored  to  impart  to 
others  liis  own  views  and  emotions.  In  a  word,  his  aim  was  to 
imbue  others  with  his  own  soul  of  thought  and  emotion.  Hence, 
his  style,  though  frequently  diffuse  and  exuberant,  was  always 
perspicuous,  always  animated,  always  vivid  and  impressive. 
But  Ave  wiH  no  longer  detain  the  reader.  He  is  impatient  to 
peruse  the  volume.  We  therefore  retire  from  view,  and  allow 
him  to  examine  and  judge  for  himself. 

T.  N.  Ralston. 
Lexington,  Ky.,  October,  1854. 


LECTURES 


ON 


THE   RELATIVE    CLAIMS 


OP 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELITY. 


gtlati))^  Claims  iof  C|iistianii]|  m\)i  lufbtliis. 


LECTURE     I. 

In  the  Lectures  we  are  about  to  submit  to  your  judg- 
ment, we  shall  find  ourselves  in  direct  conflict  with  all  the 
various  forms  and  manifestations  of  unbelief  as  it  regards 
Christianity.  And  by  how  far  such  a  position  may 
involve  considerations  of  interest  or  delicacy,  fitness  or 
responsibility,  by  so  much  it  behooves  us  to  be  able  to  assign 
valid  reasons  for  the  course  we  have  adopted.  These  rea- 
sons will  appear  at  length  in  the  body  of  the  lectures  ;  but 
it  may  be  well  to  assign  a  general  reason  here.  We  remark 
then,  it  must  be  obvious  to  all,  that  imless  the  Infidel  can 
prove  Christianity  to  be  false,  it  may  be  true,  and  may 
afiect,  and  to  the  full  of  its  pretensions  too,  not  only  man's 
present  condition,  as  it  regards  the  character  and  fortunes 
of  his  being,  but  his  future  and  final  doom,  as  a  subject  of 
the  moral  government  of  God.  And  this  fact  alone,  clear 
and  undoubted  as  it  is,  entitles  the  subject  to  examination, 
and  conclusively  authorizes,  at  least,  the  investigation  we 
are  about  to  institute. 

The  fact  of  my  having  appeared  in  difi'erent  places,  as  an 
occasional  lecturer  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity,  did  not 
originate  with  myself,  but  owes  its  origin  to  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions adopted  in  due  form  in  a  special  meeting  called  for 
the  purpose  by  an  association  of  gentlemen  in  the  West,  — 
VOL.   II — 2.  17 


18  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

distinguished  alike  for  literary  attainment  and  high  moral 
and  Christian  worth.  By  these  resolutions  I  was  respect- 
fully solicited  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  in  one  of  our 
Western  cities  during  the  last  winter,  ('37  and  '38)  on  the 
"Relative  claims  of  Christianity  and  Infidelity."  The 
resolutions,  without  participation  of  mine,  and  before  I  knew 
of  their  existence,  specified  the  subject  of  the  lectures,  as 
also  the  method  and  terms  of  their  delivery.  With  this 
call  I  complied,  and  have  yielded  to  similar  solicitations  in 
different  places  since.  The  course  I  have  pursued  has  been 
sanctioned  by  the  corporation  of  the  literary  institution  in 
which  I  hold  a  Professorship,  and  also  by  unanimous  reso- 
lution of  the  ecclesiastical  body  of  which  I  am  a  member  ; 
and  to  these  might  be  added  the  approval  of  some  twenty 
other  respectable  associations,  and  numerous  other  facts  of 
a  similar  character,  beside  my  own  convictions  of  propriety 
in  the  premises.  Thus  accredited  and  sustained,  the  occa- 
sional carping  and  caviling,  meddling  and  vituperation  of 
the  ill-natured  and  the  interested  can  be  borne  with,  as 
doing  little  more  than  challenging  the  contempt  of  the 
high-minded  and  well-disposed,  in  any  community  where 
such  demonstrations  may  be  met. 

At  our  present  interview,  we  propose  the  first  of  four 
parts  of  a  preliminary  argument  for  the  truth  of  Christian- 
ity, based  exclusively  upon  the  facts  and  principles  of 
Natural  Theology,  admitted  alike  by  the  Christian  and  the 
infidel.  This  argument  will  be  complete  in  itself,  and 
will  be  felt,  in  all  its  force,  independently  of  the  other 
classes  of  evidence  usually  appealed  to  in  the  defense  of 
Christianity.  Of  documentary  proof, — the  historical 
argument  for  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  we  shall 
not  avail  ourselves  in  the  present  investigation,  except 
collaterally.  The  position  we  assume,  and  intend  elabo- 
rating, is,  that  the  intellectual  disclosures  and  moral  laws 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  19 

promulged  by  Christianity,  are  traceable  to  physical 
grounds,  and  rational,  undeniable  data  found  in  nature. 
Or,  more  comprehensively,  we  take  the  system  of  nature 
and  providence  on  the  one  hand,  and  that  of  revelation 
on  the  other,  and  after  the  most  minute  and  inductive 
survey,  "vve  find  the  truths  of  the  latter  sustained  and 
illustrated  by  the  facts  of  the  former.  It  will  be  neces- 
sary, hoAvever,  to  throw  a  more  definite  boundary  around 
the  ground  we  intend  to  occupy.  Among  those  whose 
religious  opinions  and  moral  habits  have  attracted  the 
general  denomination  of  infidels,  there  is  great  diversity 
of  opinion,  as  it  regards  the  religion  of  nature  itself. 
Some,  as  Herbert  and  Tindal,  assuming  natural  religion 
to  be,  what  all  mankind  necessarily  know  of  God,  and 
their  relations  to  him.  Others  again,  affirm  it  is  not 
what  all  do  know,  but  what  all  may  know,  by  proper 
effort  and  application  in  the  study  of  nature.  And  there 
is  a  third  class,  who  are  imbelievers  alike  in  relation  to 
both  natural  and  revealed  religion.  The  argument  we 
propose  will  apply  with  equal  point  and  force  to  the  first 
and  second  of  these  classes,  without  including  the  third, 
which  constitutes  the  atheistic  school,  and  with  which  we 
Lave  nothing  to  do.  In  the  general  use  we  make  of  the 
term  infidel,  therefore,  we  request  it  may  be  understood 
with  the  limitation  just  suggested. 

If  we  prove  the  truth  of  Christianity  by  documentary, 
historical  evidence,  however  ample  and  unquestionable 
the  evidence  may  be,  or  clear  and  irresistible  the  demon- 
stration, the  infidel  instantly  appeals  the  argument  to  the 
great  volume  of  nature,  and  pointing  to  its  revelations, 
assumes  at  once,  that  they  are  at  variance  with  the  Chris- 
tian religion  ;  and  hence,  as  he  alleges,  the  reasons  and 
grounds  of  his  unbelief.  This  is  the  last  strong-hold, —  the 
fkvorite  retreat,  —  in  fact,  the  only  constantly  occupied  for- 


20  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

tress  of  infidelity ;  and  here  the  whole  corps  of  its  friends 
and  partizans  will  be  found  entrenched,  ready  to  do  battle, 
and  make  good  its  claims  against  all  aggression.  Now,  it 
occurs  to  us,  if  the  friends  of  infidelity  prefer  being  met 
upon  this  ground,  they  ought  to  be  met  here  ;  and  we  con- 
cede, moreover,  that  if  we  are  vanquished  here,  it  will  be 
useless  to  renew  the  attack,  as  all  else  we  can  do,  will  be 
but  fruitless  border  warfare.  We  must  be  allowed,  how- 
ever, to  remind  our  enemies,  at  the  same  time,  that  should 
the  odds,  in  this  contest,  be  against  them,  the  fjiilure  will 
be  still  more  decisive,  and  they  will  be  left  to  reconstruct 
their  demolished  entrenchments,  and  repair  their  battered 
shields,  as  best  they  may.  And  upon  this  issue  we  are 
Willi np-  to  risk  all  we  have  at  stake,  in  the  examination  of 
the  subject  pending. 

It  may  be  urged,  that  too  little  attention  has  been  paid 
to  the  subject  of  the  argument  proposed,  to  allow  the  hope 
of  exciting  general  or  popular  interest.  This  we  doubt. 
The  supposition  conflicts  with  a  Avell  known  principle  of 
human  action.  The  lectures  engrossing  us,  although 
adapted  principally  to  the  habits  and  apprehension  of  men 
of  reading  and  reflection  on  moral  and  philosophical  sub- 
jects, are,  nevertheless,  intended  for  more  general  effect. 
They  are  delivered  before  popular,  miscellaneous  audiences, 
accordingly,  because  it  was  believed  that  the  great  mass 
of  the  Christian  community,  felt  sufficient  interest  in  the 
refutation  of  the  prevalent  infidel  philosophy  of  the  day,  to 
encourage  and  sustain  them  ;  such  refutation  being  the 
only  kind  of  mission  likely  to  be  of  any  service  to  philo- 
sophical unbelievers,  and  the  only  method  of  defense  against 
their  attacks.  The  argument  is  altogether  too  weighty  and 
important  to  trust  to  extemporaneous  eft"ort.  We  would 
not  risk  our  own  reputation, —  we  would  not  risk  the  honor 
of  Christianity,  — and  especially,  we  would  not  hazard  an 


CHRISTIANITY    AND  INFIDEUTV.  21 

onslaught  from  infidelity  by  such  a  course.  The  subject, 
moreover,  is  not  adapted  to  the  pulpit,  and  requires  special 
treatment  and  management.  And  beside,  the  public  mind 
in  this  country,  if  we  have  studied  it  correctly,  has  been  so 
long  and  intemperately  drugged  vs^ith  the  familiar  dogmas 
of  the  pulpit,  and  the  common-places  of  religious  excite- 
ment, that  it  seems  to  be  laboring  under  a  kind  of  dys- 
peptic debility,  which  precludes  the  proper  digestion  of 
thought  and  reflection,  reason  and  argument,  on  this  sub- 
ject. Hence,  we  have  believed  something  else  necessar}^ 
—  something  different  in  character,  and  diverse  in  etfect. 
And  with  all  due  deference  to  the  opinion  of  others,  we 
shall  risk  the  experiment  fearlessly.  If  we  fail,  others  can 
learn  wisdom  by  our  folly,  and  adopt  a  different  course. 
We  select  no  man  as  our  model  —  we  ask  no  man  to  share 
the  responsibility  with  us.  When  we  need  it,  we  do  not 
decline  medicine,  because  Ave  do  not  comprehend  the  phi- 
losophy of  the  prescription  ;  —  we  may  know  the  general 
characteristics  of  a  country,  without  a  knowledge  of  its 
botany  and  geology  ;  —  we  avail  ourselves  of  the  use  of  air 
and  water,  without  knowing  the  component  elements  of 
either ;  —  we  appreciate  the  value  of  education,  without 
being  educated  ourselves  ; — we  confide  in  the  watch,  the 
chronometer,  and  the  steam-engine,  although  unable  to 
construct  either  ;  —  the  soldier  obeys  the  Napoleon  of  the 
field,  and  fights  effectively,  although  ignorant  of  military 
science,  and  the  order  of  battle;  —  we  may  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  laws  and  principles  of  mathematics  and 
astronomy,  without  any  claim  to  proficiency  as  it  regards 
either  ;  but  because  each  claimant  is  not  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
in  the  one,  or  Sir  William  TTcrschel  in  the  other,  does  it 
follow,  we  can  take  no  interest  in  these  sciences  ?  And  so, 
in  relation  to  the  subject  in  hand,  the  general  force  of  the 
argument  from    natural  theology   for  the    truth   of   Chris- 


22  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OP 

tianity,  may  be  felt  and  appreciated,  even  wliere  tlie  mind 
may  fail  to  comprehend  the  logic  of  all  its  parts. 

To  proceed,  however,  the  foundations  of  Christianity,  as 
an  intellectual  creation,  claiming  an  intelligible  basis,  are  to 
be  sought  deep  in  the  philosophy  and  nature  of  things,  as 
found  in  man,  and  the  external  universe  about  him.  And 
in  order  to  anything  like  a  comprehensive  understanding 
of  its  principles  and  claims,  viewed  as  a  complex  system  of 
moral  relations,  it  is  indispensable  that  the  inquirer  com- 
mence with  preliminary,  general  views  of  the  subject ;  or 
otherwise,  appeal  to  them  as  ultimate  data,  in  the  examina- 
tion he  conducts.  And  to  this  task  we  mainly  address 
ourselves,  in  the  present  and  succeeding  lectures,  which  aro 
intended  to  be  introductory,  in  character  and  purpose,  to 
a  brief  series  of  lectures,  the  specific  object  of  which  is,  a 
summary  examination  of  the  "  Relative  Claims  of  Chris- 
tianity and  Infidelity." 

Lord  Bacon  has  somewhere  remarked,  with  his  usual 
sagacity,  and  with  reference  to  intellectual  accumulation  of 
whatever  kind,  that  "the  opinion  of  plenty  ranks  among 
the  causes  of  want  y"  and  his  reasoning  elsewhere  applies 
the  truth  and  force  of  the  maxim  to  the  subject  now  under 
notice.  The  excepted  systems  and  abstracts  —  the  de- 
fenses, the  summaries  and  the  illustrations  of  Christianity, 
are  so  ample,  volumnious,  and  formidable,  that  both  the 
opinion  and  the  feeling  of  plenty  seem  to  obtain  in  common, 
among  a  large  proportion  of  its  friends  and  adherents, 
who  seem  to  prefer  assumption  to  proof,  and  would  much 
rather  dream  than  reflect  on  the  subject.  The  direct 
tendency  of  this  conviction,  or  rather  assumed  result,  is  to 
check  solicitude,  and  repress  inquiry,  and  the  effect  must 
prove  greatly  injurious  to  the  cause  and  interests  of  Ciiris- 
tianity  ;  and  this  will  perhaps  explain  sufficiently,  why 
we  have  not  deem.ed  it  out  of  place  to  appear  before  you 


CHRlSTrXNITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  83 

on  the  present  occasion,  and  for  the  purposes  specified, 
believing  as  we  do,  that  it  is  much  safer  for  those  in  the 
interest  of  Christianity  to  err  by  excess  than  by  defect 
of  efibrt. 

We  assume,  however,  (so  far  as  feeling  and  method  are 
concerned,)  no  warlike  attitude, — we  intend  no  bellige- 
rent movement.  It  is  not  our  intention  to  play  gladiator  or 
pugilist.  We  regard  deep,  earnest  thought,  and  honest, 
fearless  inquiry,  leading  to  action  and  achievement,  as  the 
most  effective  elements  of  counteraction,  in  any  conflict 
between  Christianity  and  unbelief.  And  to  such  means, 
mainly,  whether  successfully  or  not,  it  is  our  intention  to 
appeal.  It  will  no  doubt  be  objected  to  the  character  of 
the  lectures  upon  which  we  are  entering,  that  they  are  not 
sufficiently  popular  in  structure  and  adaptation,  — that  they 
have  too  much  to  do  with  first  principles  and  abstract 
truths, — that  they  betray  too  much  freedom  and  temerity 
at  the  outset,  in  fixing  as  they  do,  upon  those  principles 
of  natural  theology  which  have  generally  been  regarded 
as  hidden  and  elementary ;  —  and  this  apprehension  will 
operate  as  a  feeling  of  discouragement  in  their  delivery ;  — 
fearing  we  may  fail  to  secure  the  interest  and  sympathy 
of  the  audience  as  we  proceed.  Still,  the  evil  or  difficulty, 
if  such  it  be,  could  not  well  be  avoided.  These  first  truths 
and  principles,  ostensibly,  are  made  to  constitute  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  infidel  argument,  and  hence,  require  to  be 
examined  with  intelligence  and  discrimination.  They  are 
made  to  ally  themselves  with  the  very  anatomy  of  that 
argument,  and  to  become,  in  fact,  the  opera  basilica  of  the 
whole  system,  and  must,  therefore,  always  challenge  a  full 
share  of  the  enlightened  attention  of  those  who  reject  it,  as 
absurd  and  unphilosophical.  Hence,  in  every  controversy 
between  the  respective  claims  of  Christianity  and  Infidelity, 
an  appeal  to  first  principles  in  natural  theology,  as  verified 


24  RELATIVE   CLAIMS   OF 

by  facts,  becomes  of  necessity,  the  starting  point  or  else 
the  goal,  and  this,  by  common  consent  of  all  concerned. 
Called  upon,  therefore,  as  we  have  been,  and  committed  as 
we  are  to  a  summary  examination  of  this  subject,  we  have 
been  compelled  to  adopt  the  usual  course,  (and  by  conse- 
quence, )  addressing  ourselves,  not  so  much  to  the  vulgar 
scoffer,  as  the  skillful  antagonist ;  and  if,  in  some  things, 
we  may  happen  to  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  originality, 
or  it  may  be,  mere  eccentricity  from  the  common  orbit  of 
inquiry,  we  can  only,  for  the  present,  express  the  hope  that 
it  will  be  seen,  that  such  divergence  has  not  been  arrived 
at,  or  fallen  into,  with  any  other  view  than  that  of  conducting 
to  impartial  ulterior  conclusions. 

A  clear  perception  of  truth  is  perfectly- compatible  with 
want  of  ability  to  explain  and  explore  its  relations.     Chris- 
tianity, in  its  more  direct  aspects,  is  a  subject  of  familiar 
recognition,  and  perhaps  general  comprehension  ;  and  with 
this  but  too  many  are  satisfied  without  further  inquiry.     It 
has,  however,  other  aspects,  and  other  and  far-reaching 
relations,  but  little  understood,  and  seldom  or  never  attended 
to,  by  the  multitude,  and  yet  important  to  be  attended  to, 
in  order  to  its  general  and  more  effective  diffusion.     The 
ao-o-reo-ate  evidence  for  the  truth  of  Christianity,  is,  it  occurs 
to  us,  susceptible  of  a  more  primary  and  original  classifica- 
tion than  it  has  usually  received.     The  usual  division  is 
^into  external,  internal,  and  collateral  or  miscellaneous.    The 
more  primary  division,  we  would  propose,  is  into  presimip- 
tive,    probable,    and    demonstrative  ;  —  clear    presumptive 
proof,  high  probable  evidence,   and  moral  demonstration. 
In  our  first  lecture,  we  shall  ask  attention  to  several  pre- 
sumptive arguments  for  the  truth  of  Christianity,  in  which 
we  take  notliing  fur  granted,  not  adm/itted  by  the  infidel. 
The  other  classes  of  proof  will  be  brought  to  bear  in  the 
subsequent  lectures. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELITY.  25 

Our  Jirst  presumptive  argument  we  derive  from  tlie 
intellectual  conslilution  and  moral  nature  of  man.  Our 
second,  from  his  singular  confoimation,  as  a  compound 
being,  consisting  of  soul  and  body.  Onv  third,  from  man's 
known  condition,  as  a  fallen  being, —  a  subject  of  sin  and 
dealh.  Our  fourth,  from  the  fact,  that  aUliough  natural 
theology  certiiies  us  of  this  evil,  it  proposes  no  remedy. 
And  our  Jifth  argument  is  deduced  from  the  obvious 
identity  existing  between  the  intellectual  and  moral  mani- 
festations of  natural  theology  and  Christianity.  Such  is  a 
brief  programme  of  the  presumptive  argument,  which  we 
request  you  will  bear  in  mind. 

First,  allow  us  to  premise  then,  that  in  constructing  a 
general  argument,  having  for  its  object  the  truth  and  illus- 
tration of  Christianity,  it  is  as  impossible  as  it  would  be 
improper,  to  overlook  the  essential  structure  and  distinctive 
attributes  of  our  common  nature  ;  and  especially,  the  hio'h 
capabilities  of  man,  and  the  destinies  resulting,  in  view  of 
his  intellectual  and  moral  confiormation.  This,  we  regard 
as  the  starting-point  in  the  argument.  Overlooking  this 
first, —  this  basement  principle,  in  the  philosophy  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  whole  subject  is  without  foundation  in  nature, 
and  becomes  an  unmeaning  mockery.  For  it  is  only  in 
virtue  of  such  peculiar  constitution,  that  man  becomes  a 
reasonable  being, —  a  self-determining  agent:  and  by  con- 
sequence, a  subject  of  moral  government,  to  be  influenced 
and  directed  by  the  intellectual  conviction,  and  reasoned 
conclusions  of  his  own  understanding.  As  the  adaptations 
of  Christianity  must  have  special  reference  to  the  peculiar 
constitution,  and  corresponding  relations  of  man,  ignorant 
of  these,  how  can  we  decide  upon  the  claims  of  the  Christian 
revelation  ?  As  well  might  you  understand  the  physics  and 
philosophy  of  the  material  universe,  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  elements  composing  its  parts,  as  to  understand  Chris' 

VOL.    II  — 3. 


♦41 


^6  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 


tianity  without  a  knowledge  of  the  peculiar  powers  and  attri- 
butes of  man,  as  an  intellectual  and  moral  being.     Of  man's 
intellectual  nature  and  moral  relations,  no  proof  is  required. 
Belief  to  this  effect,  is  the  inevitable  result  of  an  intuition 
which   is  a  part  of  himself;  and  into   this  belief,  he  is 
further  lessoned  by  a  thousand  inductive  processes,  from 
which  mind  can  never  be  withheld,  under  any  circumstan- 
ces.    Unresistingly  conscious,  therefore,  of  the  possession 
of  intellect  and  moral  impulses,  man  finds  himself  in  the 
midst,  and  a  member  of  a  vast  moral  commonwealth,  and 
subject  to  the  restraints  and  control  of  a  moral  constitution, 
every  way  kindred  and  coincident,  both  in  character  ai  d 
development.     And   thus  viewed,  as  the  image  and  repr  i- 
sentative  of  infinite  Intelligence,  his  intellectual  freedom  and 
moral  agency  can  only  be  appealed  to,  by  reason  and  motive, 
as  connected  with  conviction  and  feeling.    Apart  from  such 
views   of   his    abstract,    intellectual    character   and   moral 
relations,  man  loses  the  peculiar  and  distinctive  grandeur 
of  his  nature,  and  the  high  destiny,  claimed  and  accredited 
alike  by  his  hopes  and  his  fears,  is  reversed  forever  !     It 
would  be,  to  deprive  human  nature,  at  once,  of  all  moral 
dignity,  and  take  from  it  all  moral  expression,  of  whatever 
kind.     And  thus  conceived  of,  man  ceases  to  be  a  moral 
being.      Continuous    moral    personality,    connected    with 
action  and  responsibility,  is  no  longer  predicable  of  him. 
He  loses  his  rank  in  the  intellectual  universe  ;  and  the  low 
and  the  groveling   usurp  the  regency  of  his  being.     The 
possession  of  the  powers  implied  in  the  premises,  those  of 
intelligence  and  moral  freedom,  especially,  furnishes  the 
inference,   and   in    fact,  gives   the   philosophy  of   human 
responsibility.     It  invests  man  with  the  fearful  prerogative 
of  controlling  his  own  destiny  ;  for  in  view  of  his  peculiar 
conformation  and   relations,   conduct  is  destiny,  and  his 
character  depends  upon  himself.     And  the  possession  of 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  27 

these  powers,  moreover,  furnislies  the  moral  grounCh?  of  his 
transfer  from  his  state  of  trial,  to  a  scene  and  system  of 
final  retributive  consciousness  in  the  future.  Without  the 
powers  for  example,  of  comprehension  and  analysis  —  of 
comparison  and  abstraction  ;  there  can  be  no  belief,  except 
intuitive.  Without  the  moral  susceptibilities  of  approbation 
and  disapprobation, —  the  felt  discriminations  of  moral 
difference,  as  it  regards  action  and  feeling,  in  himself, —  in 
the  social  scene  about  him,  or  in  the  abstract  contemplation 
of  any  intellectual  system,  he  would  be  destitute  of  con- 
science, and  all  moral  preference,  of  whatever  kind.  And 
without  the  corresponding  power  of  choice,  extending  to 
action,  conduct,  and  consequences,  he  would  be  incapable 
of  every  thing  like  moral  character,  or  moral  relations, — 
would,  in  fact,  be  the  mere  bondman  of  necessitj'.  Without 
these,  therefore,  right  and  wrong,  vice  and  virtue,  law, 
government,  trutli,  and  duty  lose  their  signihcance, —  so  far 
as  man  is  concerned,  are  no  longer  the  proper  correlatives 
of  his  being,  or  essential  elements  of  his  character ;  and  he 
becomes  a  mere  accident,  plaything,  or  thrall,  in  the 
common  chain  of  cause  and  effect. 

Christianity  implies  rational  intercourse  between  God 
and  men  ;  and  if  man  lack  capacity  for  the  terms  and 
conditions  of  such  intercourse,  the  claims  of  Christianity 
cannot  be  admitted.  We  institute  no  inquiry  into  tlie 
peculiar  constitution  of  the  human  mind,  —  its  essential 
and  distinctive  physiology.  We  aim  at  no  analysis  of  its 
powers  and  susceptibilities.  This  would  not  be  pertinent ;  — 
it  is  not  called  for.  But  it  is  in  place,  at  the  same  time, 
and  important  to  the  object  we  have  in  view,  to  notice  the 
one  and  the  other,  so  far  as  is  necessary  to  exhibit  man  in 
those  grand  and  distinguishing  aspects,  in  view  of  which, 
Christianity  is  brought  more  directly  to  bear  upon  his 
condition  and  destiny,     Man  must  not  only  be  capable  of 


28  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

the  discriminations  of  intelligence,  and  the  preferences  of 
moral  sentiment,  but  must  possess  co-existing  and  commen- 
surate power  of  choice,  and  liberty  of  action,  or  many  of 
the  relations,  and  much  of  the  philosophy  of  Christianity, 
will  be  found  inapplicable  to  his  nature,  and  incapable  of 
giving  character  to  his  history.     So  far  as  action  is  fated 
and  compulsory,  it  is  purely  derivative,  and  man,  essentially 
passive,  —  a  mere  patient,  and  not  an  agent.     Such  neces- 
sity may  be  postulated  of  man,  as  an  animal  —  a  sensitive 
being,  affecting  his  appetites  and  sensations,  but  not  as  a 
moral  being.     Involuntary  action,  not  the  result  of  purpose 
and  motive,  derive  the  coercion  from  what  source  you  will, 
can  never  become  the  subject  of  moral  estimation  ;  —  the 
two   results    are   invincibly  opposite    in   nature,    and   the 
human  understanding  is  mocked  by  the  attempt  to  reconcile 
them.     As  well  might  you  summon  the  pulsations  of  the 
heart,  or   the   helplessness    of   the    paralytic    to   a   moral 
reckoning.     It  is  an  attempt  to  blend  elements  which,  by 
the  ordination  of    God,   can   never  coalesce.      If,   in  the 
intellectual  and  moral  departments  of  our  being,  thought, 
emotion,  action,  and  their  results,  are  all  found  in  necessary, 
avoidless  sequence,  having  no  dependence  upon  the  mind's 
purposes  and  volitions,  as  efficient  causes  and  impellents  in 
their  production  and  character,  but  merely  to  be  viewed  as 
predetermined  counterparts  of  the  organic  phenomena,  and 
fated  results  of  our  physical  conformation,    then  praise  or 
blame,  vice   or  virtue,  are  words  without  meaning,   and 
should  be  stricken  from  every  language  tinder  heaven,  for 
we  have  no  conceivable  use  for  them.    Force,  as  applicable 
to  physical  substances  and  phenomena,  can  never  become 
an  element  of  moral  government,  and  in  proportion  to  its 
entrance  into  any  system  of  discipline  or  control,  that  system 
ceases  to  be  a  moral  government,  and  takes  its  rank  among 
the  mechanized  results  of  physical  causation,  unconnected 


CimiSTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITV.  29 

with  moral  causes  oi*  consequences.     Not  belonging  to  the 
identity,  and  constituting  no  part  of  the  uniformity  of  the 
external  universe,  man  as  a  moral  being,  is  not,  —  cannot 
be  subjected  to  its  laws.     Unless  vitally  and  fundamentally 
free,  man  cannot  act  for  himself,  and  acting  only  for  another, 
can  never  be  regarded  as  accountable.     In  a  word,  mind, 
as  now  under  review,  is  a  distinct  creation  —  an  individual, 
independent  polity — an  indestructible  constitution  of  being, 
among  the  elements  and  specific  distinctives  of  which,  are 
the  powers  of  self-agency  and  freedom  of  action,  undoubted 
and  insubvertible  as  the  existence  of  mind  itself.     This 
grand  truth  sunders  general  nature,  and  we  have  the  world 
of  matter,  and  the  world  of  mind.     It  is  the  dictate  of  the 
religion  of  nature,  not  less  than  the  testimony  of  revelation, 
that  man,  as  it  regards  his  origin  and  being,  is  not  only  a 
separate  and  distinct  creation,  apart  from  the  universality 
of  things  about  him,  called  nature,  but  takes  his  place,  high 
in   distinction   and  pre-eminence,  among  the  innumerable 
creations  of  the   God  and  Father  of  all.     While  it  cannot 
be  affirmed  of  any  portion  of  the  material  universe,  that  it 
is   an    exhibition  of  the    image  of   God,   and    cannot   be 
regarded  as  true,  in  whole  or  in  part,  as  it  afiects  general 
nature  ;  yet,  that  man,  apai't  and  distinguished  from  these, 
as  an  independent  order  and  section  of  being,  was  created 
in  the  image  of  God,  is  as  cej-tainly  taught  by  the  inductions 
of  natural  theology,  as  it  is  clearly  revealed  by  Cliristianity  ; 
and  the  announcement  by  Christianity  is  sustained  by  the 
data  and  disclosures  of  natural  religion,  as  certainly  and 
irrefutably  as  any  proposition  can  be,  the  truth  of  which 
depends  upon  the  laws  and  force  of  probable  evidence.     It 
will  occur  to  the  philosophic  mind  at  once,  that  by  the 
creation  of  man  in  the   "image   of  God,"  we   have   the 
implication,    not   merely  of   intellectual   resemblance   and 
moral  similitude,  (and  by  consequence,  the  intelligence  and 


30  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

self-agency  assumed,)  but  of  official  regency  and  supremacy, 
as  it  regards  terrestrial  creation  in  all  its  fullness  and  variety, 
and  he  could  not,  therefore,  be  subjected  to  the  same  laws 
and  destiny  as  external  nature,  —  could  not  be  judged  by  the 
one,  or  controlled  by  the  other.     All  known  theories  of  vice 
and  virtue,  right  and  wrong,  reward  and  punishment,  heaven 
and  hell,  proceed  upon  the  assumption,  expressed  or  implied, 
that  the  moral  actions  of  man  are  self-originated  as  it  regards 
final  determination,  and  that,  therefore,  he  is  accountable  for 
them.   The  very  nature  of  the  human  soul  forbids  the  suppo- 
sition we  oppose.    Its  constitution — its  essential  philosophy, 
as  known  by  its  powers,  and  capacities, — its  hopes,  its 
fears,  and  its  hazards  —  its  creative  might  and  wondrous 
achievements  —  the    expansive    power    of    thought  —  the 
unconquerable  energy  of  feeling,  and  all  the  regal.  Godlike 
furniture  of  mind,  surveying  the  past,  communing  with  the 
present,  and  living  in  the  future,  with  the  irresistible  con- 
sciousness of  immortality  ;  —  these,  all  assert  the  separate 
Divine  origin  of  the  soul,  as  an  independent  existence  ; 
and  indicate  its  perpetual  progression  in  the  intelligence, 
the  pursuits,  and  the  sympathies,  unknown  in  the  physical, 
and  peculiar  to  the  intellectual  world.     The  abstract  power 
of  mind  —  of  thought  and  emotion,  is  essentially  a  dif- 
ferential quality  from  any  and  all  the  objects  and  elements 
which,  in  concatenation,  constitute  the  physical  universe. 
Man,  therefore,  stands  illustriously  distinguished  from  all 
surrounding  nature.     Immortality  is  an  element,  and  not  a 
mere  elaboration  of  the  human  mind.     It  is  not  an  abstract 
category — a  pandect  of  reason — or  a  figment  of  philosophy. 
It  is  not  the  persuasion  of  a  school,  or  the  creed  of  a  party, 
although  that  school  may  divide  the  light  of  a  continent 
from  its  darkness,  and  that  party  marshal  nations  in  its 
ranks.     The  conviction  —  the  feeUng  of  immortality,  and 
of  consequent  dignity  in  the  scale  of  existence,  is  essentially 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFlDELITr,  31 

*  connatural  -with  our  being  ;  and  its  origin  —  its  genesis  — 
must  be  sought  deep  in  the  elements  of  our  nature.  In  nc 
exclusive  sense  does  it  belong  to  any  division  of  earth,  or 
portion  of  her  children.  It  is  pre-eminently  the  creed  of 
collective,  universal  man,  and  became  the  birthright  of 
humanity  when  the  majesty  and  grandeur,  not  less  than 
the  moral  lineaments  of  Godhead,  were  creatively  impressed 
upon  the  human  soul ! 

Man's  high  capabilities,  therefore,  of  good  and  evil,  and 
his  subjective  relations  as  a  moral  being,  furnish,  a  -priori, 
strong  complex  probability  in  favor  of  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  revelation.  For  why  created  capable  of  so  illus- 
trious a  destiny,  unless  it  awaited  him  ?  And  hence,  the 
strong  presumptive  force  of  our  first  argument. 

But  there  is  a  second  class  of  elements  and  susceptibilities 
predicable  of  human  nature,  to  which  we  would  ask  atten- 
tion, as  among  the  premises  of  the  general  argument  we 
are  about  to  submit ;  and  this  leads  us  to  our  second 
argument  in  the  scale  of  presumptive  proofs.  In  addition 
to  the  preceding  views  of  man,  it  is  more  or  less  material 
to  the  discussion,  that  we  notice  him  in  another  aspect, 
a  mere  glance  at  which,  however,  will  be  sufficient  for  the 
purposes  rendering  it  necessary  to  introduce  the  topic  at 
all.  It  has  been  objected  by  the  sceptical  philosophy,  for 
the  correction  of  which  these  lectures  are  principally 
intended,  that  the  adaptations  of  Christianity  have  con- 
siilted,  almost  exclusively,  the  less  tangible,  and  more 
impalpable  elements  of  human  nature  ;  such  as  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  powers  of  man,  to  the  great,  if  not  utter 
neglect  of  the  more  obvious  physical  principles  and  devel- 
opments of  his  nature  ;  and  contrary  to  fact,  many  have 
"  regarded  the  objection  as  well-founded.  Hence,  having 
noticed  his  intellectual  being  and  moral  nature,  man's 
material  formation  from  eai'thly  elements,  should  not  be 


>*3*' 


32  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

entirely  overlooked  in  an  inquiry  of  the  kind  we  are 
conducting,  but  should  be  recognized  among  important 
data  in  the  argument,  as  Christianity  has  elements  and 
relations,  otherwise  unintelligible. 

Let  us  first  look  at  man's  relations  to  the  physical 
universe,  and  then  see  how  Christianity  has  disposed  of 
these  relations.  All  correct  knowledge,  —  the  discoveries 
of  philosophy  and  the  discriminations  of  science,  unite  in 
establishing  an  unerring,  universal  distinction  between  the 
material  and  immaterial  substances  givina:  birth  to  the 
phenomena  which  constitute  their  only  foundation.  This 
classification  of  all  things  and  beings,  facts  and  phenomena, 
as  connected  with  one  of  the  two  only  grand  substantive 
entities  in  the  formation  of  the  universe,  (matter  and  mind,) 
throws  a  fixed  boundary  around  mind  and  thought,  beyond 
which  nothing  is  known,  and  nothing  can  become  even  an 
object  of  conception.  Of  ivhat  can  you  conceive,  having 
no  connection  with  matter  or  mind  ?  It  is  a  classification 
bounding  the  fields  of  discovery,  and  terminating  the  paths 
of  science.  It  is  essentially  inclusive  of  all  known  phe- 
nomena. All  the  mind  can  know,  or  thought  revolve  of 
the  illimitable  grandeur  of  Godhead  on  the  one  hand,  or 
the  infinitude  of  things, — the  immensity  of  subordinate 
existence  on  the  other,  comes,  not  only  legitimately,  but 
necessarily  within  the  range  of  this  classification.  JS^ow, 
man,  and  it  is  certainly  a  very  remarkable  fact,  unites  in 
himself  these  great  primary  distinctions  of  all  substantive 
being, — matter  and  mind  —  the  material  and  the  imma- 
terial, and  is  thus  presented  to  the  gaze  of  our  astonishment, 
as  a  divinely  conceived  and  constructed  epitome  of  universal 
being, — an  essential  abstract  of  all  existence  external  to 
himself;  —  "  connection  exquisite,  not  only  of  distant,  but 
of  unresembling  worlds  ;  and  thus  partaking  of  tlieir  nature, 
must  be  more  or  less  participant  in  their   fortunes   and 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY,  33 

tendencies.     These  great  primal  elements  of  the  whole  of 
things — of  the  imiverse,are  the  true,  grand  prototypes  of 
the  soul  and  body,  —  the  spirit  and  materialism  of  man, 
who  in  this  aspect,  stands  alone,  invested  with  a  distinction, 
so  far  as  our  information  extends,  denied  to  every  other, 
among  all  the  unnumbered  creations  of  Almighty  Goodness. 
And  these  elements  of  being,  whenever  found,  together  or 
apart,  invariably  furnish  diverse,  if  not  antagonistic  phe- 
nomena,—  presenting  to  the  consciousness  of  intelligence 
two  classes  of  facts,  always  and  readily  distinguishable. 
The  one  class,  such  as  the   extension  and   divisibiHty  of 
^  matter  furnish,  mind  involuntarily  attributes  to  the  material 
agents  and  masses  external  to  itself;  and  the  other,  say 
thought  and  feeling,  is  so  truly  and  invariably  ascribed  to 
mind  alone,   as  to  assume,  with  regard  to  many  of  the 
phenomena,  at  least,  that  they  might  exist,  were  mind  not 
sentient  of  the  existence  of  any  cause  or  agency  ad  extra, 
or  from  without,   in  relation  to  its  own  existence.     The 
whole  current  of  human  consciousness  resolves  itself  into 
these  elements,  by  having  to  do  with  their  separate  and 
invariable  phenomena.     You  know  nothing,   in  fact  you 
can  know  nothing  —  by  possibility,  you  never  even  thought 
of   anything  else.     It  is  in   vain   the   materialist,   or  the 
Berkleyan  spiritualist  attempts  to  fuse  and  melt  down  into 
one,  these  immutably  different  elements,  and   thus  annul 
the    distinction   between    them.     The    resistance    of   both 
intuition  and  science,  and  the   remonstrances  of  common 
sense,  render  the  attempt,  at  once,  rash  and  fatuous.     And 
as  the  worlds  of   matter  and  spirit,   at  which   we    have 
glanced,  co-exist  in  relative  contact,  (all  know  the  co-exis- 
tence of  the  facts,  and  yet,  the  difference  between  the  sun 
shining,  and  the  mind  perceiving  it,)  so  mind  and  body, 
and   a   consequent   mysterious    duality  of  nature,   belong 
properly  to  man;  —  the  one  allying  him  to  the  material, 


34  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

and  the  other  to  the  intellectual  universe.  As  human 
nature  is  noio  constructed,  and  affected  and  controlled  by 
the  Divine  arrangements,  the  w^ll  known  decay  and  disso- 
lution of  the  one,  is  perfectly  compatible  mth  the  survivancc 
and  immortality  of  the  other.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to 
attend  to  a  distinction  here.  When  we  speak  of  the 
essentially  different,  and  independent  substances  of  matter 
and  mind,  in  the  instance  of  general  nature,  —  a  solid 
globe,  for  example,  and  the  mind  of  man,  it  is  important 
to  remark,  that  something  more,  and  quite  different  is 
meant,  when  in  the  instance  of  human  nature,  we  speak 
of  body  and  mind  in  intimate  connection.  The  affinities 
between  the  human  body  and  a  block  of  granite,  are  few 
and  far  apart.  Body,  indeed,  in  the  case  of  all  animal, 
sentient  existence  means  something  more  than  mere  matter. 
The  diversity,  it  is  true,  relates  more  to  modification  than 
substance,  still,  the  difference  is  real,  and  especially,  in  the 
instance  of  the  human  body.  Nor  is  this  difference  the 
same  in  kind  with  that  existing  between  charcoal  and  the 
diamond.  Take  the  physical  organization  of  man,  —  its 
functionary  play  of  parts  and  powers  —  the  principle  of 
vitality,  and  the  equally  mysterious  principle  of  nervous 
excitability,  and  then  turn  to  the  walls  enclosing  you,  —  a 
cedar  of  Lebanon,  or  the  peak  of  Teneriffe,  and  you  will 
comprehend  us.  Matter  and  mind,  we  have  seen,  are 
unlike,  and  unresembling  substances,  and  where  they 
co-exist  in  union,  as  in  the  conformation  of  man,  there 
must  be  some  organic  medium,  as  the  necessary  means  of 
reciprocity.  And  accordingly,  in  the  physiology  of  man's 
nature,  body  is  such  a  medium,  connecting  him  with  the 
external  world,  and  with  the  qualifications  implied;  — 
(that  is,  essential,  without  absolute  identity,)  becomes  a 
more  or  less  distinctive  and  separate  essence  from  either, — 
an  organic  structure,  instinct  with  life,  it  becomes  a  kind 


CHRISTIANITY'  AND  INFIDBLITT.  36 

of  third  intermediate  nature,  found  in  what  the  mathema- 
tician would  call  a  tangential  relation  to  the  one  and  the 
other.  The  worlds  of  matter  and  mind  require  a  connecting 
link,  not  merely  matter  nor  purely  spirit,  as  the  means  of 
mutual  interaction,  and  body  as  here  understood,  furnishes 
the  tie  of  connection.  This  medium-substance  is  con- 
stituently  the  same  with  matter,  yet  functionally  different 
as  a  living  organism,  and  bearing  no  similitude  to  spirit, 
except  as  possessing  life,  yet  existing,  the  organic  medium 
of  many  of  its  powers  and  operations,  otherwise  impossible. 
It  may  be  looked  upon  as  occupying  a  place  in  intermediate 
relation  between  the  original  independent  substances  of 
matter  and  mind.  The  result  is  a  vast  augmentation  of  the 
powers  of  action  and  development,  on  the  part  of  both. 
We  might  instance,  for  example,  all  the  vocal  phenomena 
of  lano-uacre,  —  all  the  social  relations,  activities,  and  inter- 
course  of  life  ;  none  of  which  could  exist,  but  for  the 
supervention  of  the  intermediate  organization  of  the  human 
body,  although  the  universe  might  everywhere  be  crowded 
with  simple  matter  and  mind.  To  this  arrangement  too, 
we  owe  all  the  demonstrations  of  animal  power,  and  human 
achievement,  of  whatever  kind.  There  belong,  therefore, 
to  himian  nature  two  grand  elements,  —  body  and  spirit,  and 
the  severance  of  these  elements  at  death,  is  a  fixed  law  in 
the  economy  of  man's  existence,  and  whether  its  super- 
vention has  been  in  consequence  of  the  cause  assigned 
by  Christianity  or  not,  it  occurs  as  a  regular  stage  in  the 
progress  of  his  being. 

It  is  further  true,  that  this  separation  of  soul  and  body, — 
this  fearful  breaking  up  of  the  physical  economy  connecting 
man  with  earth,  ranks  high  among  the  deductions  of  natural 
theology,  as  a  punitive  visitation  on  account  of  sin,  and  has 
always  spoken  to  the  reason  and  moral  sense  of  man,  of 
aboriginal  transgression,   and  the  displeasure  of  Heaven, 


36  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

It  has  been  necessary,  in  our  judgment,  to  advert  briefly 
to  tliis  very  singular  union,  —  this  admirably  adjusted 
amalgam  of  mind  and  matter,  in  order  to  just  views  of  the 
hidden  and  occult,  as  well  as  more  obvious  constitution  of 
human  nature,  without  a  knowledge  of  which,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  understand  many  of  the  more  distinctive  provisions 
of  Christianity.  We  do  not,  therefore,  venture  upon  ground, 
which  many  may  regard  as  more  or  less  untrodden,  —  we 
do  not  appear  in  a  field,  Avhich  may  be  looked  upon  as  one 
of  remote  and  imfamiliar  abstraction,  merely  because  it  has 
fallen  in  our  way,  and  we  find  it  practicable  to  do  so,  but 
in  view  of  what  we  consider  important  deductions  and 
conclusions,  and  apart  from  which  Christianity  would  be  a 
chaos  of  unintelligible  assumptions,  and  unrelated  dogmas. 
Similar  views  to  these,  in  part,  may  be  found  in  the 
admirable  works  of  Drew  and  Taylor,  but  they  are  intro-. 
duced  by  both,  for  purposes  having  very  little  connection 
with  our  argument.  The  ultimate  truth  in  which  we  would 
land,  is  not  suggested  by  either. 

To  proceed,  however,  without  the  notices  of  human 
nature  with  which  we  are  occupied,  (we  mean  their  sub- 
stance, of  coiirse,  Avithout  reference  to  form,)  the  great 
law  of  sin  and  death,  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all 
religion,  natural  and  revealed,  would  not  only  be  unintel- 
ligible, but  in  fact,  could  not  be  conceived  of.  The  same 
is  true  of  mortality,  and  physical  suffering  of  every  kind ; 
also,  death,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  human  body, 
together  with  other  important  data  and  disclosures  of 
revelation.  As  we  intend  an  examination,  to  some  extent, 
at  least,  of  the  philosophy  of  Christianity,  rather  than  its 
external  credentials,  we  have  deemed  these  preliminary 
views  important  and  indispensable,  as  preparing  the  way 
for  others  more  directly  explanatory  of  the  positive  natui-e, 
elements,  and  tendencies  of  the  Christian  religion ;  many 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  37 

of  which,  without  proper  reference,  direct  or  implied,  to 
the  views  we  have  taken,  would  bear  no  more  analogy 
to  nature  and  fact,  than  the  infidel  objection  to  which  we 
are  replying,  does  to  good  sense  and  sound  philosophy  ! 
How  could  Christianity  be  understood,  in  many  of  its 
relations  and  bearings,  and  these  most  important,  without 
adverting  to  man's  peculiar  nature,  as  blending  the  diverse 
elements  of  the  two  great  systems,  —  the  physical  and  the 
intellectual,  pervading,  so  far  as  science  has  been  able  to 
discover,  the  entire  universe  of  worlds  ;  and  from  which, 
in  the  instance  of  man,. mixed  and  modified  principles  and 
sentiments,  affecting  both  his  nature  and  character,  must 
necessarily  result  !  And  these,  as  disposed  of  by  Chris- 
tianity, can  only  be  understood  by  proper  reference  to 
man's  extraordinary  conformation,  as  a  compound  being. 
It  is  hence,  and  thus  viewed,  that  man  becomes  a  visible 
manifestation,  and  in  some  sense,  impersonation  of  Deity ; 
and  the  persuasion  to  this  effect,  has,  with  greater  or  less 
variation,  obtained  wide  as  the  earth,  and  commensurate 
with  its  history.  As  the  adaptations  of  Christianity  adjust 
themselves  to  this  specific  structure  of  man's  nature,  it 
furnishes  high  presumptive  proof,  that  the  author  of  the 
one  must  be  the  author  of  the  other.  Without  proper 
reference  to  man,  in  the  two  very  distinguishing  aspects  in 
which  we  have  just  considered  him,  as  an  intellectual 
being,  —  a  free  moral  agent,  also  a  compound  being,  con- 
sisting of  soul  and  body,  the  Christian  doctrine  of  man's 
moral  accountableness  to  God,  would  be  a  senseless  fable, 
—  an  insulting  fiction  ;  and  that  of  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  would  present  itself,  not  merely  as  a  philosophical 
absurdity,  defying  all  rational  belief,  but  as  something 
quite  too  monstrous  for  the  gullibility  of  even  the  most 
stupid  and  visionary  !  The  view  of  the  subject  we  have 
taken,  however,  refers  all  the  assumed  results  of  Christianity 


461-132 


38  KELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

to  causes  and  desiderata,  i-ationally  accounting,  both  for 
their  assumption  and  occurrence.  Hence,  the  strength  of 
the  presumption,  that  Christianity  originated  in  the  will  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  Creator  of  man,  as  it  has  obviously 
seized  upon  the  grand  ground-laws  of  our  being,  as  its 
only  subjective  basis.  And  thus,  the  objection,  that  Chris- 
tianity adapts  itself  to  the  latent  and  invisible  elements  of 
humanity,  overlooking,  at  the  same  time,  the  physical,  the 
external,  and  the  obvious,  is  without  any  foundation  in  truth 
or  fact ;  and  it  would  have  been  much  better  for  infidel 
philosophy,  had  it  never  been  urged. 

We  are  now  prepared  for  some  additional  views  of  human 
nature,  very  important  to  the  general  argument  of  these 
lectures,  and  severally  evincing,  that  the  objections  to 
Christianity  urged  by  infidelity,  are  much  more  formidable 
in  aspect  than  they  are  found  to  be  when  examined  in  the 
light  of  nature  and  philosophy.  The  value  of  ouv  first  and 
second  arguments  will  be  more  fully  appreciated  hereafter. 
The  third,  although  equally  important  is  less  metaphysical, 
and  to  most  persons,  will  be  more  interesting,  but  we 
reserve  it  for  our  second  lecture. 


i 


LECTURE    II. 

It  is  within  the  competency  of  the  religion  of  nature,  as 
ti-uly  as  that  of  Christianity,  to  ascertain  and  accredit  to 
the  mind,  beyond  all  doubt,  that  our  common  nature  is 
not  -what  it  ought  to  be,  and  by  consequence,  not  what  it 
was  when  received  from  God,  as  the  all-wise,  and  bene- 
ficient  source  of  existence  and  its  blessings.  This  view  of 
the  subject  must,  of  necessity,  give  color  and  character  to 
the  whole  inquiry.  Christianity  consults  the  welfare  of 
man,  as  a  fallen  being;  and  if  we  ascertain,  beyond  doubt, 
that  man  is  a  fallen  being,  and  learn  this  fact,  too,  incon- 
testably,  independently  of  Christianity,  it  furnishes  a  third 
grand  presumption  of  its  truth. 

If  natural  religion  teaches  anything  at  all,  with  clear 
and  convincing  emphasis,  it  is  the  existence  of  God,  as  an 
infinitely  intelligent  and  benevolent  being  ;  and  the  crea- 
tion of  man  by  him,  for  purposes  essentially  benevolent  in 
ranee  and  effect ;  and  that  man,  therefore,  in  conformity 
with  the  Divine  purpose,  should  cherish,  and  extend  to  his 
fellows, —  co-heirs  of  the  same  destiny  with  himself,  kin- 
dred regards,  and  similar  solicitude  to  those  challenged  by 
the  question  and  interests  of  his  own  immediate,  personal 
well-being ;  and  that,  turning  to  the  Author  of  his  existence, 
and  the  gifts  and  hopes  with  which  it  is  enriched,  he 
should  regard  Mm  with  affection  and  confidence,  reverence 
and  gratitude,  at  once  supreme  and  undivided.  All  this 
is  admitted.  It  is  disputed  by  none.  It  is  inscribed  on 
the  altars  of  nature,  as  legibly  as  on  those  of  Christianity, 
and  is  taught  alike  by  the  theist  and  the  Christian.     Let  ua 


40  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

appeal  then  to  facts  and  developments,  of  wliich  nature  is 
as  cognizant,  and  can  judge  as  competently,  as  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  see  w^hether  such  facts  will  bear  out  the 
assumption,  that  man  as  we  now  find  him,  and  as  he  has 
been  found  for  ages,  has  been  led  by  the  moral  intuitions 
of  his  nature,  and  the  religious  impulses  of  his  being,  to 
contemplate  and  admire  the  character  and  works  of  God, 
and  making  his  will,  so  far  as  known,  the  standard  of 
excellence,  to  imbibe  his  thoughts  and  seek  his  likeness. 
We  submit  the  question  to  the  arbitrament  of  fact  and 
experience, —  actual  history  and  every-day  consciousness 
of  mankind.  Speculation  and  hypothesis  are  out  of  the 
question,  —  creeds,  codes,  and  authority  are  laid  aside. 
Let  the  inquiry  be  reduced  to  a  question  of  simple  history, 
—  a  naked  appeal  to  the  actual  conduct  of  mankind.  Has 
man  then,  been  actuated  supremely  by  regard  for  the 
Creator  ?  Has  cheerful  submission  to  his  will  and  dispen- 
sations motived  and  determined  his  character  and  actions  ? 
Has  he  sought  to  make  the  plans  and  purposes  of  God,  the 
measure  and  model  of  the  action  and  achievement  of  which 
he  was  capable,  and  to  which  he  was  inclined  ?  Has  he 
practically  admitted  these  first  truths  of  natural  religion  to 
be  the  voice  of  God  ?  Has  he  submitted  to  the  reio-n  of 
conscience  within  him,  as  a  part  of  the  supreme  legislation 
of  Heaven  with  regard  to  man  ?  Has  he  shown  himself 
under  tlie  control  of  the  moral  order  of  the  universe  ? 
These  questions  must  all  be  answered  in  the  negative. 
Man  has  not  done  this  ;  and  the  negative  is  accredited  by 
the  most  convincing  testimony  of  natural  theology  itself. 
All  perceive  and  feel  it  at  once  as  undeniably  true.  It 
follows,  therefore,  that  our  nature  is  disordered — a  moral 
disruption  has  taken  place  between  man  and  Deity.  Alien- 
ation has  interrupted  the  original  harmony  between  heaven 
and  earth.     The  intellectual  mechanism  and  moral  struc- 


CHRISTIANITY  AND    INFIDELITY.  41 

ture  of  man's  nature  have  been  impaired.  Irregularity  and 
ruin  have  succeeded  to  the  purity  and  perfection  claimed 
for  his  original  nature  and  condition.  Disorder  and  mis- 
rule obtain  among  all  our  passions  and  propensities, 
extending  alike  to  our  animal  appetites  and  intellectual 
powers.  It  is  a  common  distinctive  of  man's  moral  nature, 
that  he  is  unmindful  of  his  God,  and  loves  not  his  brother. 
It  is  a  root  of  bitterness  mingling  with,  and  tempering  the 
whole  fruitage  and  environment  of  life.  In  this,  there  is 
no  mystery  —  no  revelation,  beyond  the  ordinary  disclo- 
sures of  nature  and  time.  Failure  to  discover  it,  apart  from 
Christianity,  is  impossible.  It  is  equally  known  to  the 
savage,  the  sophist,  and  the  sage  ;  and  is  felt  alike  by  all. 
It  is  asserted  alternately,  and  in  unison,  by  conscience  and 
consciousness  ;  the  one  being  busied  Avith  moral,  and  the 
other  with  intellectual  distinctions.  The  mind  feels  its  own 
fearful  collapse,  and  the  heart  is  burdened  with  the  evidence 
of  its  own  alienation.  Let  this  inquiry  be  reduced  to  a 
science,  and  let  it  never  be  baptized  into  Christ,  and  yet, 
bringing  the  inductive  philosophy  to  bear  upon  it,  making 
facts  the  foundation  of  theory,  an  overwhelming  multipli- 
city of  this  class  of  proofs,  will,  by  clear  and  pervading 
implication,  conduct  us  to  the  conclusion  assumed  —  the 
fall  of  man,  and  the  moral  perversion  of  his  nature.  Select 
but  one  or  two  specimens  of  this  mode  of  reasoning,  and 
you  can  easily  judge  of  the  force  of  others. 

"We  have  seen  it  taught  in  the  creed  of  nature  and  reason, 
contended  for  by  all  and  denied  by  none,  that  man  —  all 
men,  as  the  children  of  one  common  Father,  and  subjects 
of  the  same  moral  discipline, —  one  in  nature,  one  in  condi- 
tion, and  one  in  want,  and  actuated  by  the  same,  or  similar 
hopes,  and  fears,  and  aspirings,  should  cherish  the  regai-ds 
of  kindness  and  good-will,  the  one   to  the  other,  in   all  the 

aspects  and  distributions  of  social  relationship.     Deny  then, 
.VOL.  II — 4. 


42  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

as  infidelity  does,  that  man  is  fallen,  and  his  nature  in 
ruin,  and  how  will  you  account  for  the  hatred  and  malig- 
nity, the  oppression  and  wrong,  the  war,  the  blood,  and 
the  murder,  by  which  earth,  not  only  in  the  present  age, 
but  during  its  sixty  predecessors,  has  been  transformed 
into  a  vastaceldama  —  the  burial-place  of  the  life  and  hopes 
of  millions,  every  one  of  whom  had  access  to  the  altars  and 
temples  of  nature  !  Who  does  not  perceive  that  this  result 
is  utterly  unaccounted  for  upon  the  infidel  hypothesis  ? 

Or  again,  we  have  seen  it  taught  by  the  same  creed,  and 
with  equal  force  and  universality,  that  all  are  under  the 
strongest  and  equal  obligation,  to  accord  to  the  Creator  the 
claims  of  reverence  and  affection  in  conduct  and  action. 
Turn  we  then  to  the  idolatry  and  superstition,  the  poly- 
theistic creeds  and  religions  of  the  pagan  world,  in  all  ages 
and  divisions  of  its  history,  and  tell  us  how  these  deluded 
millions  could  love  and  trust  a.  being  —  a  god,  they  knew 
little  or  nothing  about  ?  With  no  just  conception  of  him, 
how  could  they  reverence  or  worship  him  ?  Knowing  no 
divinity  but  the  godhead  of  stocks  and  stones, —  beasts 
and  men, —  and  so  of  the  rest,  how  could  their  morality 
and  religion  be  other  than  the  negation  of  everything 
deserving  the  name  ?  And  yet,  if  the  religion  of  nature 
be  true  in  its  premises,  and  man's  nature  noiv  what  it  was 
—  Avhat  \i  must  have  been  when  God  created  him,  we 
have  a  result,  in  the  deep,  moral  perversity  of  our  race, 
for  the  production  of  which,  no  conceivable  cause  can  be 
foimd  in  the  history  of  man,  or  the  councils  of  Heaven. 
And  how,  we  beg  to  know,  will  infidelity  dispose  of  the 
difficulty  ?  In  every  attempt  to  do  so,  it  is  seen  halting 
on  both  feet,  and  at  every  step.  The  evidences  —  the 
mementoes  —  the  sad  remembrances,  many  and  oft,  of  this 
fearful  change  in  the  condition  and  moral  aspects  of 
humanity,  have  multiplied  upon  the  notice  of  the  world 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELITY.  43 

for  nearly  six  thousand  years  !  Its  face  and  history  are, 
stained  and  disfigured  by  them.  Its  records  groan  with 
the  recital.  The  great  primeval  apostasy  is  no  discovery 
of  Christianity.  It  has  been  felt  and  acted  upon,  by  all 
men  in  all  time  ;  by  the  pagan  and  the  infidel,  as  fully 
and  truly  as  by  the  Christian.  It  is  attested  by  the  expe- 
rience of  ages  and  nations  as  they  blend  in  the  world'.s 
history.  That  man  is  estranged  from  God  —  estranged 
in  thouo-ht  and  affection  from  the  character  and  claims  of 
the  Creator,  is  not  a  mere  abstraction  of  philosophy  or 
relio-ion, —  it  is  not  an  occult  truth  whose  demonstration 
depends  upon  the  laws  and  indirection  of  an  extended  pro- 
cess of  reasoning.  It  is  a  truth  mapped  out  upon  the 
face  of  man's  moral  history ;  and  taking  the  wants  and 
necessities  of  our  nature  —  its  cares  and  solicitudes  —  the 
invention  and  enterprise  of  man,  as  our  guide,  it  will  be 
found  that  throughout  immemorial  time,  the  common 
course  of  effort  and  endeavor,  however  modified  by  human 
interest  and  earthly  vicissitude,  has  been  planned  and 
charted  upon  the  basis  of  the  truth  we  assume,  —  the 
damao-ed,  disordered  condition  of  man's  moral  nature. 
Christianity  is  not  now  our  witness  —  is  not  noio  under 
examination.  Let  her  stand  aside.  Let  her  voice  be 
hushed  in  the  silence  of  her  own  archives.  We  appeal  to 
other  sources  of  information.  We  appeal  to  man's  univer- 
sal history  ;  —  to  the  facts  of  his  being,  and  the  philosophy 
of  his  nature  ;  —  to  common  truth  and  common  sense  ;  — 
to  his  moral  feelings  and  the  inductions  of  experience,  and 
thus  conceiving  and  judging  of  man  and  his  relations,  is 
God,  we  ask,  in  man's  appreciation,  (according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  natural  theology, )  the  eternal  source  and  prototype 
of  moral  excellence  ?  Is  man,  does  man,  what  he  was 
formed  to  he  and  to  do  ? 

Allow  man  intuitive  intellection,  moral  emotion,  and  the 


44  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

powei"  of  conscience,  in  relation  to  the  immutable  princi- 
ples of  right  and  Avrong,  and  the  conformity  or  want  of  it, 
of  his  own  actions  in  the  premises,  yet,  is  it  not  equally 
certain,  that  the  ever-restless  domination  of  his  inferior 
passions  and  appetites,  withholds  him  from  the  choice  of 
rectitude,  and  renders  him  incapable  of  the  love  and 
pursuit  of  moral  excellence,  without  extrinsic  moral  aid, 
such  as  Christianity  assumes  to  furnish  ?  The  most 
essential  element  of  moral  goodness,  as  predicable  of  man, 
is  proper  regard  for  God  who  made  him,  and  who  in  his 
administration  of  the  world,  has  never  ceased  to  care  for 
him.  Of  this  essential  elementary  principle  of  goodness, 
man,  as  shown  by  the  tendencies  of  his  nature,  is  destitute. 
The  evidence  of  the  fact  is  the  common  consent  of  all  in 
any  way  attentive  to  the  subject.  Indeed,  we  would  offer 
the  impossibility  of  doubting  it,  as  the  strongest  proof  the 
human  mind  is  capable  of  receiving  with  regard  to  it.  In 
order  to  such  a  result,  therefore,  must  not  the  order  of 
things  have  been  disturbed  and  inverted  by  some  great 
moral  cause  ?  Could  moral  consequences,  evil  in  kind, 
have  proceeded  from  other  than  moral  causes,  evil  in  nature 
too  ?  If  God  be  either  good  or  just,  it  could  not  be.  Infi- 
nite perfection  never  could  have  produced  man  as  he  noiv 
is; — a  defaced  image,  a  mutilated  likeness  of  himself! 
In  a  state  of  such  intellectual  derangement  and  moral 
perversity,  man  never  left  the  hand  of  God.  Created 
obviously  for  benevolent  purposes,  as  we  have  seen, — 
sublime  in  capacity,  and  illimitable  in  desire,  is  it  conceiv- 
able, unless  for  some  hisfh  moral  cause  oriofinatina:  with 
himself  as  a  self-determining  agent,  that  God  who  made 
him  in  goodness,  would  abandon  him  to  a  destiny  which 
may  level  him  with  the  brute  in  time,  and  exhibit  him  a 
spectacle  of  majestic  desolation  —  of  fallen,  perverted 
grandeur  in  eternity  !     In  trying  to  reach  such  a  conclu- 


CIIRISTIANIxr  AND  INFIDELIXr.  46 

sion  common  sense  and  all  moral  principle  will  be  found  to 
rebel !  On  no  subject,  it  occurs  to  us,  of  moral  belief,  is 
the  proof  more  perfect  and  indubitable  than  against  such  a 
supposition.  It  is  a  conviction,  the  certainty  of  which, 
cannot  be  increased  by  any  kind  of  evidence  whatever. 
The  evidence  has  augmented  in  fullness  and  force,  with 
every  age,  until,  every  way  full,  it  is  satisfying  and 
overwhelming ;  and  even  that  derived  from  the  senses,  and 
the  laws  of  geometry,  can  never  be  more  so.  When 
conviction  is  perfect  and  entire,  it  can  never  be  anything 
more.  It  is  not  within  the  competency  of  any  kind  of 
proof  to  affect  it  further,  nor  is  it  at  all  material  whether 
the  evidence  affording  the  conviction  be  moral  or  mathe- 
matical. We  can  no  more  doubt  the  moral  fitnesses 
connecting  themselves  with  the  virtues  of  truth,  justice 
and  benevolence,  and  the  vices  of  falsehood,  dishonesty, 
and  oppression,  than  we  can  doubt  the  correspondence  of 
mathematical  relations,  or  the  existence  of  physical  affini- 
ties. And  the  result  is,  in  this  adaptation  of  the  provisions 
of  Christianity,  to  the  fallen,  disordered  condition  of  our 
nature,  we  have  an  additional  argument  for  the  Divine 
original  of  the  system,  the  speciality  and  relevancy  of 
which,  must  be  felt  by  all. 

But  let  us  take  another  view  of  this  subject.  It  has 
been  noticed,  that  however  clearly  and  forcibly  the 
theology  of  nature  may  point  to  the  existence  of  God, 
his  works  and  his  ways,  furnishing  imperfect,  but  still 
convincing  manifestation  of  his  natural  and  moral  perfec- 
tions—  recognizing  man,  moreover,  as  a  subject  of  moral 
government,  and  indicating  his  moral  relations  and  immor- 
tality, notwithstanding  the  sin  and  misery  in  which,  by  the 
same  light,  he  is  found  to  be  involved,  yet  there  are  aspects 
of  man's  moral  condition,  as  ascertained  and  assiimed  by 
nature,  which  the  theology  of  reason  and  conscience  has 


'  ^ 


46  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 


never  been  able  to  dispose  of ;  and  amoBg  tbese  will  bo 
found  man's  peculiar  relations   to  Heaven,  viev/ed   as  a 
lapsed   intelligence  —  a  subject  of  sin  and  death.     That 
man  is  such  an  intelligence  —  such  a  subject,  is  as  irresist- 
ably,  although  not  as  satisfactorily  taught  by  the  lessons 
of  nature,  as  by  those  of  revelation.     It  ranks  familiarly 
amono-  its  initial  lessons  —  its  axiomatic  truths.    It  has  been 
the  burden  of  nearly  all  the  religions  of  the  world,  and  has 
given  birth  to  their  most  significant  symbols  and  ceremo- 
nies,  and  especially   the  mysterious  rite  and  practice  of 
animal  sacrifice,  so  universally  appealed  to  for  the  purposes 
of  propitiation  —  the  atonement  of  conscious  and  dreaded 
guilt.    This  question  —  (how  to  approach  offended  heaven) 
has  always  been  an  enigma  with  natural  religion  ;  and  one, 
of  which,  her  expounders  and  pupils  have  never  been  able 
to  furnish  a  solution.     The  very  thought  has  carried  with 
it  the  force  of  a  gloomy  and  damping  visitation,  which  has 
thrown  back  for  ages  the  hopes  and  the  fears  of  paganism 
upon  itself,  and  left  more  enlightened  worshipers  in  the 
temple    of    nature,   "without   hope    and    without    God!" 
Even  the  disclosures  of  natural  religion,  in  this  respect, 
enhance    its    difficulties  by  its  felt — admitted    inability  to 
accomplish  what  it  proclaims  indispensable,  and  its  hopes 
and  aspirings  are  thus  seen  to  expire  in  its  own  birthless 
ashes  1     The  evil  of  sin,  as  taught  by  natural  religion,  is 
not  a  mere  obscuration  of  moral  perception  —  not  mere 
derangement  and  error  as  it  regards  conscience, —  not  a 
vac-ue  unhinofement  of  the  moral  constitution  of  man,  but 
alienation    from   the    source   and    principles    of  virtue  — 
estrangement  from  God  —  guilt  and  condemnation  1     Nor 
is  this  regarded  as  an  item  of  belief  only,  but  as  an  undoubted 
verity.     It  is,  in  fact,  the  implicit  creed  of  all  mankind  ; 
because  none  doubt  —  all  feel  that  they  are  guilty  !     To 
teach   this  lesson  to  man,  it  was  not  necessary  that  the 


CHRlSTIANlir  AND  INFIDELITY.  47 

heavens  should  break  silence,  or  the  oft'ended  Majesty  of 
the  universe  send  us  a  special  embassy  !  It  is  written  upon 
tlie  living  tablet  of  every  heart,  and  forms  a  part  of  its 
consciousness.  It  is  voiced  in  the  depths  of  our  moral 
nature,  and  its  peremptory  and  pealing  echo  has  thrilled 
and  disquieted  the  conscience  of  each  successive  generation 
of  earth,  since  death  and  want  were  known  to  man.  In  a 
word,  it  is  the  eternal  language  of  the  heart,  "  known  and 
read  of  all  men  ! " 

Natural  theology,  therefore,  involves  us,  beyond  all 
doubt,  in  the  great  problems,  not  merely  of  Christianity, 
but  of  all  religions;  and  among  these,  the  guilt  and  ruin  of 
our  common  nature.  Thus  far,  the  induction  is  complete. 
But  it  is  equally  true,  equally  demonstrable,  that  natural 
religion  cannot  extricate  us.  Viewed  as  a  system,  it  has 
been  casting  about  for  a  remedy  for  ages,  but  in  vain  ;  and 
the  utmost  it  has  been  allowed  to  hope  was,  that  its  imper- 
fect discoveries  might  harbinger  to  the  hopes  of  man  the 
higher  lessons  of  some  adequate,  but  still  undiscovered 
system  of  recovery.  And  all  the  oracles  of  pagan  sages, 
and  the  dreaming  of  infidel  philosophy,  has  been  to  the 
same  effect.  The  moral  —  the  ethical  voice  of  natural 
religion,  was  heard  and  felt  with  anxious  awe,  but  the  great 
ends  —  the  grand  objective  interests  it  involved,  as  neces 
sary  to  a  solution  of  its  difficulties,  were  seen  only  in 
dimness  and  mystery  —  glimmered  faintly  in  the  distance, 
or  were  utterly  unknown,  even  to  the  ideal  shapings  of  belief 
and  hope  !  We  see  the  tree,  and  seize  the  promise  of  its 
bloom,  but  the  fruit  for  which  we  looked  and  longed,  drops 
prematurely,  mildewed  in  its  own  shadow  !  The  liistory 
of  all  religions,  the  Christian  excepted,  confirms  this.  It 
is  chronicled  in  all  that  God  or  man  has  preserved  to  us  of 
tlie  fortunes  of  our  race.  Want,  disease,  and  death, —  guilt, 
fear,  and  despair,  have  preached  it  for  six  thousand  years, 


y 


48  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other  !  None  can  doubt ; 
even  the  most  laborious  endeavor  to  do  so,  ends  only  in 
more  confirmed  conviction.  Tlie  question  may  be  started, 
as  it  often  is,  with  studied  ambiguity  of  thought  and 
feeling,  but  before  the  induction  is  half  completed,  demon- 
stration throws  the  sophist  on  his  knees,  and  the  helpless- 
ness of  nature  involuntarily  offers  homage  to  the  hopes  of 
Christianity — "Wherewith  shall  a  man  appear  before  his 
Maker,  or  bow  himself  before  the  most  high  God  ?"  Here, 
broods  a  mist  nature  has  never  been  able  to  dissipate. 
Allow  that  the  beautiful  science  of  natural  theology  does 
much  towards  adorning  the  path,  and  gilding  the  hopes 
of  life,  the  existence  and  paternal  goodness  of  Deity  —  the 
rational,  exalted  nature,  and  probable  immortality  of  man, 
—  these,  and  other  kindred  lessons,  in  the  shape  of  thoughts 
and  conceptions,  the  prismatic  mouldings  of  imagination, 
and  the  droppings  of  impassioned  fancy  and  feeling, 
together  with  the  stirring  alternations  of  life  and  society, 
and  their  perpetual  vicissitude  of  contribution  to  our  wants 
and  wishes,  play  like  sunbeams  about  our  path  and  pilgrim- 
age, often  rendering  us  buoyant  Avith  hope,  and  grateful 
alike  for  the  present  and  the  past  !  Viewed  only  in  such 
aspects,  we  seem  to  enjoy  a  charmed  existence,  imbibe 
inspiration  from  a  thousand  streams,  and  revel  in  the  poetry 
of  heaven  and  earth  ! 

Reflect,  however,  that  in  the  tender  physiology,  even  of 
the  infant's  bosom,  there  is  a  mortal  taint, —  that  there, 
by  an  inevitable  law,  the  seeds  of  death  are  sown, —  that 
birth  is  the  invariable  antecedent  of  quick  succeeding 
death  ;  —  that  the  bud  is  opening,  but  to  be  nipped, —  the 
flower  expanding,  only  to  wither  !  Look  at  disease,  decay, 
and  death  ;  —  look  at  suffering  and  want, — anguisli  witliin, 
and  desolation  without ;  —  life  receding  in  gloom,  and  the 
shadows  of  the  future  settling  upon   its  close  !     See  the 


# 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  4D 

light  of  nature  guiding  us  thus  far,  and  then  deserting  us  ; 
—  its  torch  extinguished  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  grave,  and 
all  that  was  gay  or  blissful  in  life  imbittered  by  the  appal- 
ling desolation  of  its  closing  scene !  And  gazed  at  from 
this  point  of  observation,  from  which  all,  sooner  or  later, 
must  look  upon  it,  earth,  instead  of  a  gay  panorama  of  inter- 
est and  excitement  —  an  Eden  of  passion  and  enjoyment, 
presents  the  spectacle  of  a  vast — a  world-entombing 
sepulchre,  where  its  mouldering  generations  have  no  inher- 
itance but  that  of  forgetfulness  !  Now,  what  we  assume 
here, —  that  death  and  its  ravages,  whether  it  be  the  result 
of  primeval  transgression  or  not,  is  an  essential  fact  of  the 
phenomena  of  our  nature, —  is  in  fact,  a  part  of  its  physi- 
ology, and  the  only  mystery  attaches  to  the  fact  itself, 
admitted  by  the  objector,  and  not  the  account  of  tho 
manner  of  its  origination,  as  furnished  by  Christianity, 
We  repeat,  the  great  improbability  in  the  case,  the  only 
staggering  unlikelihood,  belongs  to  the  fad,  not  the  manner 
■  in  which  it  is  accounted  for  ;  which  last,  however  strangely 
and  unaccountably,  becomes  the  only  subject  of  exception 
with  the  infidel.  And  the  philosophic  unbeliever  is  thus 
found  chasinii-  his  own  shadow,  and  battlinsf  with  the 
ghosts  of  his  own  admissions  !  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
the  adaptation  of  the  special  provisions  of  Christianity  to 
the  specific  failure  of  nature,  upon  which  we  have  been 
enlaro-infj,  is  another  arsfument  for  the  truth  of  the  Chris- 
tian  revelation. 

One  other  view  of  this  subject  and  we  close  the  present 
lecture.  Who  can  reflect  upon  the  unity  subsisting 
between  the  intellectual  and  moral  manifestations  of  natural 
theology  and  Christianity,  whether  as  it  regards  God  or 
man,  without  beina^  forcibly  struck  with  the  manner  in 
which  the  former  seems  to  have  anticipated  the  truths  and 

facts  of  the  latter,  so  as  to  make  the  one  prophetic  and 
VOL.    II — 5. 


#0  HKLATIVB    CLAIMS  OF 

prototypical  of  the  other  ?  Infidelity  is  thus  silenced  by 
the  very  weapons  it  has  turned  against  Christianity.  Take 
the  existence  of  moral  evil,  for  example,  Christianity  details 
the  manner  of  its  introduction  into  our  world  ;  and  this 
may  be  true  or  false,  without  afiecting  the  corresponding 
truth  in  natural  theology.  There  all  is  silent,  as  it  regards 
the  manner  of  its  introduction  ;  but  that  it  exists  is  a  fact 
of  human  consciousness,  and  a  fact  so  interwoven  with  the 
history  of  man,  that  with  all  the  darkness  of  his  under- 
standing or  condition,  he  has  never  been  able  to  overlook 
it.  The  fact  exists  apart  from  human  theory  or  Divine 
discovery.  Christianity  assumes  it,  as  a  pre-existmg  truth, 
and  although  she  rationally  accounts  for  it,  is  no  more 
responsible  for  it,  than  is  the  history  of  Greece,  for  the 
reign  of  the  thirty  tyrants  ;  or  that  of  Rome,  for  the  murder 
of  Julius  Caesar,  or  the  destruction  of  Pompeii  and  Hercula- 
neum  !  Christianity  does  not  originate  the  evil ;  she  merely 
furnishes  a  solution  of  the  difficulty.  Now,  the  iise  we 
would  make  of  this  is,  that  the  pervading  resemblance 
between  the  fact,  as  attested  by  natural  ^theology  and 
accredited  by  Christianity,  furnishes  another  strong  pre- 
sumption, that  the  one  and  the  other  are  manifestations  of 
the  same  intelligence,  and  exhibitions  of  the  same  moral 
nature.  That  is  to  say,  the  origin  of  both  must  be  sought 
in  God.  It  would  require  no  elaborate  eflfort  to  show,  tliat 
upon  the  basis  of  the  great  truth,  that  our  world  is  a  fallen 
one,  natural  theology  has  constructed  its  only  theory  of 
the  administration  of  its  aflfairs,  by  its  offended,  yet  gracious 
Sovereign;  —  referring  the  blended  good  and  evil, —  the 
enjoyment  and  suffering  of  our  earthly  lot,  to  the  goodness 
and  forbearance  of  God,  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  the  original 
delinquency  and  subsequent  sinfulness  of  our  race,  on  the 
other.  The  ills  of  life,  and  the  sufi'orings  of  mankind,  have 
been  looked  upon  immemoriully,  and   by  all,  as  judicial 


CHRISTIANIiy   AND  INFIDELITY.  6l 

visitations,  proclaiming  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  on 
account  of  sin ;  and  yet,  in  a  way  partly  penal  and  partly 
gracious  ;  while  the  goodness  and  benevolence  lavished  in 
a  thousand  forms  upon  the  family  and  children  of  earih, 
have  been  received  as  evidences  of  the  patience  and  long- 
suffering  of  God,  in  his  providential  administration  with 
regard  to  man.  And  it  is  a  most  remarkable  fact,  that  this 
fundamental  principle  in  natural  theology,  is  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  discoveries  and  announcements  of  Chris- 
tianity on  the  same  subject.  The  inference  is,  that  the  same 
mind  —  the  same  presiding  intelligence  gave  birth  to  both 
these  kindred  results. 

It  may  be  received  as  an  axiom  from  which  none  will 
dissent,  that  if  the  systems  usually  denominated  those  of 
nature,  providence,  and  revelation,  come  from  God, —  if  as 
systems,  they  are  conceptions  of  his,  they  cannot  be  at 
variance  — they  must  be  found  coincident  and  in  harmony. 
The  two  former  must  be  expected  to  exhibit  principles  of 
character  with  which  the  latter  must  accord  ;  and  precisely 
in  conformity  with  such  a  supposition,  the  lessons  of  revela- 
tion assume,  explain,  and  accredit  those  of  nature  and 
providence,  and  these  last,  in  the  order  and  history  of  the 
Divine  administration,  seem  to  be  the  intended  precursors 
of  the  first ;  nor  can  there  in  the  one,  be  found  any  intima- 
tions of  the  character  of  God,  or  condition  of  man,  incon- 
sistent with  those  found  in  the  other  two. 

It  is  admitted,  and  the  admission  is  essential,  that  there 
is  cormected  with  Christianity,  much  that  is  peculiar  — 
much  that  belongs  to  no  other  system,  of  moral  remedy  or 
religious  belief.  But  this  very  speciality  —  this  grand 
peculiura  of  the  gospel,  which  turns  mainly  upon  the  origi- 
nation of  a  scheme  or  system  of  recovery  and  restoration  to 
the  favor  and  image  of  God,  as  the  great  bui-den  of  its 
communication, —  is,  as  we  have  seen,  and  clearly  shown. 


62  RELATIVE   CLAIMS  OF 

pointed  at  by  nature  and  providence,  as  a  desideratum, 
involving  not  only  the  most  important  of  man's  moral 
relations,  but  even  the  destinies  of  immortality.  We  need 
not  add  that  here  is  a  gulf,  infidelity  has  never  been  able  to 
bridge,  without  appealing  to  Christianity ;  and  hence, 
another  coincidence,  which  tells  upon  this  argument  with 
no  common  weight,  or  equivocal  bearing. 

Again,  that  in  Christianity,  which  has  most  ofi'ended  the 
pride  and  independence  of  infidel  philosophy,  is  the  doc- 
trine of  redemption  by  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  scene  on 
Calvary,  in  the  history  of  man's  redemption,  has  been  the 
stumbling  stone  of  the  world,  and  significantly,  the  rock  of 
offense  to  its  wisdom  and  pretensions,  among  all  its  tongues 
and  tribes  !  And  yet,  the  principles  involved,  apart  from 
the  dramatic  accompaniments  and  scenic  exhibitions  of  the 
tragedy,  all  have  their  counterpart  in  nature  and  provi- 
dence. There,  as  noticed  at  length  before,  the  moral 
Governor  of  the  world  blends  judgment  with  mercy.  He 
not  only  attracts  by  the  loveliness  of  the  one,  but  awes  and 
deters  by  the  fearful  grandeur  of  the  other  !  God  reveals 
himself,  displeased  with  sin,  and  intolerant  of  its  commis- 
sion, but  at  the  same  time,  disposed  to  bear  with,  and 
reclaim  the  delinquent  1 

Turn  now  to  the  cross  as  the  great  symbol  of  man's 
redemption,  and  losing  sight  of  Judas  and  the  mob  —  the 
disciples  and  the  sanhedrim  —  Herod  and  Pilate  —  the  nail 
and  the  tree  —  the  darkened  heavens  and  trembling  earth  — 
the  opening  graves  and  rising  dead,  fix  attention  only  upon 
the  great  principles,  of  which  these  are  but  the  incidental 
exponents  and  credentials,  and  what,  we  ask,  are  tlie 
lano-uage  and  the  lessons  taught  ?  What  have  we  here, 
but  justice  and  mercy?  Offended  majesty  proclaiming 
that  sin  must  be  punished,  and  yet,  relenting  kindness 
providing  for  the  return  of  the  sinner,  through  the  univer- 


4 


CHRISTIANITT  AND  INFIDEnTT,  63 


sal  propitiation  of  tlie  Son  of  God  !  And  the  result  is,  we 
have,  published  from  the  cross,  "  whether  we  will  hear  or 
whether  we  will  forbear,"  the  same  laiio-uaue  to  which  we 
listened  a  moment  since  from  nature,  with  the  docility  of 
children  ;  and  the  only  philosophical  inference  is,  that  these 
are  but  varied  developments  —  diverse  revelations  of  the 
same  mind  and  purposes,  thus  proclaiming-  the  God  of 
nature  and  providence  to  be  the  God  of  Christianity  ! 

Or  finally,  for  the  purposes  of  simplification,  let  us 
merge  nature  and  providence,  so  as  to  form  one  great 
department ;  and  let  revelation,  admitting  its  claims  for  the 
present,  be  the  other;  and  we  ask  the  question,  why  are 
these  considered,  not  only  separable,  but  absolutely  and 
irreconcilably  separate  ?  Is  the  difterential  barrier-line  of 
distinction  found  in  their  nature  —  their  principles,  or  their 
provisions  ?  We  have  seen,  and  we  think,  demonstrably, 
that  it  is  otherwise.  As  well  might  you  deny,  in  the  physi- 
ology of  man,  all  affinity  between  the  brain  and  the  nervous 
system  existing  in  continuity  with  it !  As  well  might  you 
say,  the  auroral  light  of  morning  before  the  sun  appears,  is 
constituently  different  from  that  which  gilds  our  world 
at  his  highest  point  of  culmination  ! 

We  reserve,  however,  the  further  solution  of  this  diffi- 
culty for  the  next  lecture.  Meet  us  on  that  occasion,  and 
although  you  will  still  find  yourselves  toiling  up  the  acclivi- 
ties of  the  mountain-height  to  which  we  would  conduct 
you,  yet,  with  God's  blessing  we  hope  to  place  you  upon 
an  elevation,  from  which  you  will  clearly  discern  7nuch  that 
must  noio  appear  but  dim  and  shadowy.  For  a  summit- 
view  of  this  grand  moral  landscape,  you  must  accompany 
us  to  the  last  lecture. 


LECTURE    III. 

A    DUE  consideration   of  the   mischievous   tendency  of 
language,  and  restricted  modes  of   conception,  connected 
Avith  preconceived  theories,  will  enable  us  on  philosophicaL. 
principles   to  account  for  the  difficulty  in  which  intidehty 
is  involved,  by  considering  the  departments  of  nature  and 
providence  on  the  one  hand,  and  revelation  on  the  other, 
as  absolutely  separate  and  unconnected  systems.    All  history 
shows  that  the  world  has  always  had  its  jealous  modes  of 
thought,  however  vague  and  preposterous,  and  its  current 
vocabularies,  however  unmeaning  and  senseless,  appropri- 
ated as  mere  fixtures  to  the  safe  keeping  and  propagation 
of  religious  and  philosophical    opinions  and  dogmas,   and 
operating  as  a  drag-chain  upon  the  higher  aspirations,  and 
more   o-enerous  tendencies  of  our  nature.     And  is   it  not 
much  more  likely  that  the  divorce,  at  the  suit  of  infidelity, 
between  the  great  departments  of  the  Divine  administration 
we  are  now  considering,  originated  in  this  way,  than  that  it 
Las  resulted  from  any  clearly  discerned  discrepancy  between 
the    principles    and    provisions    they    severally    disclose? 
Indeed,  if  we  appeal  to  the  light  and  the  labors  of  induc- 
tion, as  applicable  here,  we  have  already  reached  the  only 
allowable  conclusion  at  wliich,  by  such  a  process,  we  can 
arrive.      That  is,  that  tlie  systems  are  intimately  related, 
and  in  no  way  discrepant.     It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  after 
taking   into  the  estimate    of  analogies    all    the  modes  of 
thought,  and    methods   of   concatenation,  with    Avhich    the 
subject  has  been  encumbered  in  all  time,  and  even  without 

discounting  the  turgid  generality  or  supple  vagueness  of 

54 


CHRISTIANITy  AID  INFIDSLITV.  £& 

terms,  so  generally  employed  in  its  service,  it  will  be  found, 
that  it  is  a  first  truth  in  natural  theoloy-v,  to  connect  naturo 
and  man,  pre-eminently,  with  God  as  the  Creator  and 
Sovereign  of  all.  So,  revelation  introduces  its  higlier  and 
more  detailed  discoveries,  by  the  inculcation  of  the  same 
great  truth.  And  accordingly,  in  the  great  comprehensive 
summary  —  that  matchless  abridgment  of  natural  religion 
and  law,  known  as  the  decalogue,  the  first  announcement 
— Jirst  in  order  and  Jirst  in  importance,  binds  man  as 
nature  had  done  before,  to  the  throne  of  the  universe,  in  a 
way  that  cannot  fail  to  produce  the  conviction,  that  it  is  a 
republication,  and  by  tl;e  same  author,  of  the  great  prime- 
val code  to  which  we  have  adverted. 

Once  more,  it  is  the  principal  business  of  natural  religion 
to  direct  the  attention  and  interest  of  man  to  the  claims  of 
the  Creator,  through  the  medium  of  his  works ;  and  upon 
this,  the  whole  priesthood  of  unbelief  has  most  pertina- 
ciously insisted.  The  appeal  is  based  upon  data  and 
phenomena  everywhere  accessible ;  and  in  a  precisely 
similar  way  —  a  process  of  ordinary  induction,  Cliristianily 
challenges  for  its  Author  the  faith  and  homage  of  the  world, 
and  demonstrates  its  common  oritjin  with  the  lelifriou  of 
nature,  by  the  most  urgent  appeals  to  tlie  works  of  his 
hands  and  the  ways  of  his  providence,  and  especially,  the 
evolution  of  his  plans  and  purposes  as  inferred  from  nature, 
and  authoritatively  announced  by  revelation,  centuries 
before  the  drama  of  their  final  accomplishment ! 

But  to  resume  the  train  of  argument  in  the  preceding 
lecture; — there  is  another  great  fact,  connected  with  the 
essential  nature  of  man,  of  which  it  would  be  manifestly 
improper  for  us  to  lose  sight  in  this  argument.  We  allude 
to  the  moral  judgments  and  emotions  of  our  nature,  viewed 
as  the  dictates  and  decisions  of  an  original,  uncompounded 
element  or  power  in  the  mechanism  of  our  being  ;  and  by 


56  RELATIVE    CLAIMS    OE" 

consequence,  received  from  God,  usually  denominated  the 
moral  sense  or  conscience  —  the  power  or  susceptibility 
of  moral  approbation  and  disapprobaiion.  We  have  already 
adverted  to  the  subject  in  general  terms  ;  but  it  is  enliiled 
to  more  specific  notice.  We  are  aware,  that  as  usually 
conceived  of, —  that  when  viewed  as  taking  only  common 
rank  among  our  moral  emotions,  the  evidence  of  conscience, 
when  inductively  examined,  is  not  by  any  means  as  conclu- 
sive as  many  have  supposed.  More  correct  views,  however, 
of  this  power  of  man's  moral  constitution,  render  the  ai'gu- 
ment  for  the  truth  of  Christianity,  from  the  indications  of 
natural  theology,  and  the  power  of  conscience,  particularly, 
much  more  conclusive  and  final  in  its  application.  Tlie 
views  to  which  we  allude,  are  those  which  accord  to 
conscience,  as  an  element  of  our  moral  constitution,  an 
independence  and  precedence  among  our  moral  emotions, 
hitherto  very  generally  denied  to  it.  Tlie  proper  view  of 
conscience  appears  to  be,  that  it  is  by  riglit  —  by  intention 
of  the  Creator,  the  great  master-power,  the  sovereign 
regulator  of  the  moral  system  in  man,  and  placed  there,  by 
God  himself,  for  this  specific  purpose.  It  is  not  our 
intention  to  affirm  such  mastery  and  sovereignty  always  in 
point  oi  fact,  but  in  point  of  right  —  of  lawful  precedence, 
invariably.  Conscience  is,  we  conceive,  by  Divine  appoint- 
ment, a  natural  right — an  ascendant  principle  of  high,  and 
undoubted  superiority.  It  is  the  supreme  faculty,  riglit- 
fully  claiming,  although  not  always  exercising  sovereignty, 
over  the  rest ;  for  in  too  many  instances,  it  has  been  des- 
poiled of  this  Heaven-invested  supremacy,  by  sin  and 
ignorance.  There  has  been  a  general  concurrence  of 
mankind,  however,  according  such  high  ultimate  jurisdic- 
tion to  conscience,  whatever  may  have  been,  at  the  same 
time,  the  rebellious  and  insurgent  sway  of  the  other 
passions   and   principles   of  our   depraved   nature.     It  is 


CURTSTIANITT  AND    INFIDELITY.  57 

necessary,  liowevcr,  to  the  integrity  of  the  argument,  that 
we  notice  briefly  the  office — the  appropriate  jurisdiction  of 
conscience. —  A  subject  on  which  mankind  have  been  very 
prone  to  err.  It  is  not  tlien  the  business  of  conscience  to 
say  what  is  right  or  wrong,  abstractly. —  The  objective 
nature  of  virtue,  and  interests  of  morality,  are  not  subjected 
to  the  legislation  of  conscience,  any  more  than  the  proper- 
ties of  a  mathematical  figure  or  diagram,  depend  abstractly, 
upon  the  reasoning  process  of  the  geometrician.  It  is  the 
business  of  conscience  to  decide  on  man's  oavu  right  or 
wrong,  subjectively,  as  it  regards  his  own  personal,  moral 
relations.  Conscience  does  not  attempt  to  settle,  but 
assumes  as  settled,  the  great  principles  of  moral  rectitude; 
and  adjudicates  upon  the  thoughts,  feelings,  and  actions  of 
man  accordingly;  always  premising  that  our  own  actions 
only  are  involved.  In  no  conceivable  case  has  conscience 
right  of  jurisdiction,  with  regard  to  the  conduct  of  others. 
Regarding  man  in  his  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral 
aspects,  the  moral  part  is,  undoubtedly,  the  great  ultimate 
principle  of  our  nature.  It  is  that  which  draws  after  it 
finally,  and  also  decides  the  character  of  every  other  part. 
All  other  parts  are  subordinate  to  specific  purposes  and 
given  ends,  connected  with  the  moral.  In  every  survey  of 
human  nature,  we  are  obliged  to  return  to  the  affections  and 
moral  emotions,  as  the  primary  and  final  principles  of  the 
whole  mysterious  mechanism  of  our  nature.  These,  in 
their  elements,  are  unalterably  permanent,  and  place  man 
in  direct  relation  with  God  who  made  him  ;  and  the  whole 
philosophy  of  Christianity  tends  to  elaborate  the  truth,  that 
upon  the  character  of  these,  in  view  of  such  relation, 
depends  our  final  destiny.  We  ask  you  then,  to  readvert 
to  the  fact  assumed, —  that  among  all  the  moral  sentiments 
and  emotions  of  our  nature  especially,  including  also  the 
operations  of  intelligence  and  volition,  conscience,  by  -xn 


68  EELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

original  law  of  nature, —  by  special,  Divine  ordination, 
reigns,  or  by  right,  at  least,  ought  to  reign  supreme.  And 
wliat,  it  may  be  asked,  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  argument? 
The  answer  is, — "much  every  way."  As  conscience  occu- 
pies, by  a  law  of  our  nature,  the  place  of  command,  and 
as  the  right  of  arbitrament,  among  all  its  principles  and 
properties,  belongs  to  it,  as  pre-eminent  and  controlling,  the 
inference  is  not  to  be  resisted,  that  it  exists, —  a.  law  toman, 
given,  asserted,  and  proclaimed  by  the  Author  of  his 
nature  ;  and  from  the  nature  and  functions  of  the  law,  we 
infer  the  character  and  purposes  of  the  Lawgiver.  And 
every  instance  of  the  misdirection,  or  perversion  of  con- 
science, is  but  another  argument  in  proof  of  the  disorder 
and  sinfulness  of  our  common  nature. 

Let  us  take  the  moral  and  religious  history  of  the  world, 
as  in  truth  we  should,  as  the  memories  of  conscience,  under 
every  diversity  of  moral  control  and  religious  influence,  and 
do  we  not  find  the  most  important,  if  not  all  the  great  truths 
of  revelation,  so  far  as  regards  the  grand  primary  reasons 
of  the  Christian  dispensation  ;  —  the  holiness  of  God,  and 
the  sinfulness  of  man,  especially,  vigorously  operating  upon 
conscience,  or  fairly  implicated  by  its  decisions  ?  It  demon- 
strably follows,  therefore,  that  by  how  far  this  is  the  case, 
to  the  extent  of  such  influence  and  this  implication,  con- 
science becomes  an  argument  for  the  truth  of  Christianity, 
and  renders  its  revelations  as  probable  as  they  are  felt 
to  be  needful.  In  this  way  we  secure  additional  basis 
—  more  extended  groundwork,  in  the  progress  of  the 
ai'gument. 

We  have  now  reached  a  point  at  which  natural  religion 
clearly  suggests,  and  desiderates  the  necessity  of  a  revelaiion, 
such  as  Christianity  assumes  to  be  ;  and  it  follows,  thei-e- 
fore,  that  unless  Christianity  be  true,  nature  has  erred  in 
her  indications.     Natural  religion  has  always,  and  in  all 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  69 

lauds,  betokened  the  inquietude  of  unaccomplished  ends 
and  purposes,  and  has  indicated  its  infirmity  to  this  effect, 
in  a  thousand  different  ways  and  forms.  For  example,  no 
proposition  has  received  a  larger  share  of  notice  and  promi- 
nence, in  the  system  of  the  philosophical  theist,  than  the 
one  which  recognizes  man's  present  allotment,  not  as  final, 
but  a  state  of  trial  in  which  evil  and  suffering  are  admitted 
constituents  of  the  state  assumed.  But,  unable  to  proceed 
further,  this  disclosure  becomes  the  basis  of  a  common, 
universal  want,  which  some  other  system  must  supply  ;  and 
if  we  except  Christianity,  no  other  system  on  earth  even 
assumes  to  supply  it. 

Again,  that  moral  obligation  is,  in  some  sense,  and  to 
some  extent,  deducible  from  the  character  and  attributes 
of  Deity,  as  known  to  the  pupil  of  natural  theology,  is 
admitted  by  all ;  but  this  deduction  is  so  very  uncertain 
and  unsettled  the  moment  we  address  ourselves  to  details, 
that  the  necessity  of  more  perfect  manifestations  of  the 
will  of  God  has  been  a  felt  want,  and  matter  of  common 
concession,  among  all  concerned.  In  this  way,  paganism, 
which  has  been  the  predominant  livery  of  natural  religion 
among  all  nations  destitute  of  revelation,  has  immemorially 
invoked  spectres  it  could  not  quell.  These  are  universal 
facts,  and  require  no  proof;  and  taking  into  view  the 
character  of  God,  and  the  intellectual  and  moral  constitution 
of  human  nature,  they  furnish  a  strong  antecedent  proba- 
bility of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  revelation ;  but  unless 
Christianity  be  true,  the  strong  presumption  thus  furnished 
by  nature  is  utterly  deceptive.  It  is  a  fundamental  article, 
moreover,  in  the  creed  of  natural  religion,  that  the  will  of 
God,  through  the  medium  of  his  works,  and  by  direct 
communication  to  the  mind  itself,  is  so  far  revealed  to  all 
men,  as  to  afford,  at  least,  imperfect  moral-guidance,  and 
become  a  rule  of  conduct.     It  is  equally,   however,  an 


» 


60  RELATIVE  CLAIMS   OF 

article  of  the  same  religion,  that  the  principle  tlius  assumed 
involves  important  relations  and  inferences,  wliich  we  are 
compelled  to  refer  to  some  other  source  —  some  higher 
calculus  for  satisfactory  solution  ;  for  without  such  solution, 
nature  has  only  mocked  us  in  all  she  has  done.  It  will 
thus  be  perceived,  that  every  height  won  by  natural 
theology  in  its  ascending  search  after  God  and  immortalitj', 
seems  to  have  been  clung  to  as  the  warrant  and  herald  of 
a  still  higher  —  of  something  beyond,  more  enlarged,  and 
better  defined  ;  but  unless  we  turn  to  Christianity,  we  are 
utterly  disappointed,  and  all  is  hopelessly  dark  and  void ! 
Our  data,  however,  in  this  specific  argument,  are  not 
limited  to  the  hopes  and  aspirings  of  man  after  immortality. 
We,  precisely  in  the  same  way,  and  to  the  same  extent, 
bring  in  and  appeal  to  the  irrepressible  inquietude,  and 
appalling  apprehensions  —  the  haunting  dread  and  mantling 
gloom  of  conscience,  connected  with  the  future,  in  the 
instance  of  the  vicious  and  guilty  of  every  age  and  clime. 
Both  classes  appear  equally  persuaded  of  an  eternal  future, 
and  both  look  forward  to  it  with  equal,  although  very  dis- 
similar interest.  And  yet  it  is  true  of  both,  that  much  in 
which  all  have  the  deepest  interest, —  the  most  eventful 
stake,  remains  undisclosed  by  the  light  of  nature  ;  and 
that,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  can  only  be  furnished  us  by  a 
direct  communication,  having  for  its  burden  and  object,  the 
disclosures  needed.  And  here  again,  nature  gravitates  to 
nought,  unless  Christianity  be  from  God. 

You  need  scarcely  be  reminded,  that  there  belongs  to 
the  human  mind,  a  kind  of  philosophical  ii^tinct  by  which 
we  naturally,  and  almost  invariably,  proceed  fi'om  tlie 
partial  to  the  general  ;  and  from  contact  with  what  is  par- 
ticular to  an  acquaintance  with  wliat  is  universal.  And 
this  law  gives  to  tlie  mind  conversant,  or  Jiaving  to  do  with 
natural  theology,  a  receptive  aptitude  —  a  respondent  incli- 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELITY.  6l 

nation  to  lay  hold  of  the  superior  light  and  information  of 
revelation,  provided  it  reach  us  avouched  by  evidence 
unexceptionable  in  kind,  and  ample  in  amount.  Reject 
Christianity,  however,  and  we  have  nothing  to  lay  hold  of, 
and  we  find  ourselves  again  misled  by  nature  as  interpreted 
by  infidelity.  It  is  thus,  the  defects  of  natural  theology 
point  to  a  system,  at  least,  analogous  to  Christianity,  as  the 
only  remedy  for  the  helplessness  under  which  it  labors. 
And  it  is  equally  certain,  unless  Christianity  be  that  remedy, 
it  does  not  exist ;  and  nature  is  found  bequeathing  only 
folly  and  disappointment  to  the  children  of  earth.  Man's 
immemorial  need  and  want  of  some  mode  of  direct,  available 
communication  with  his  Maker,  is  taught  by  the  whole 
system  of  naural  religion,  and  equally  by  the  common 
experience  of  all  mankind,  as  in  the  absence  of  extrinsic 
religious  stimulus,  such  as  the  revelations  of  Christianity 
afford,  under  the  most  solemn  and  fearful  sanctions,  man 
has  always  been  found  to  sink  into  utter  forgetfulness  of 
the  Creator,  and  indifference  to  all,  except  the  interests  and 
engrossments  of  the  present  life.  You  do  not  require  to  be 
told,  that  this  evil,  belonging  to  the  whole  religious  history 
of  man,  has  never  been  remedied  by,  nor  has  it  ever  met 
any  effective  counteraction  from,  the  principles  or  sanctions 
of  the  moral  code  of  nature.  This  fact  is  perfectly  notorious. 
Even  our  enemies  cannot  regard  it  as  incumbent  on  us  to 
assign  any  reason,  a  priori,  that  this  should  be  as  it  is ;  but 
inasmuch  as  it  is  so,  we  are  not  only  allowed,  but  com- 
pelled to  adopt  it  as  an  elementary  truth,  and  proceed  to  the 
necessary  inferences,  without  which  it  cannot  be  understood 
in  its  relations  and  bearings.  Human  nature  has  confessedly, 
amid  all  the  revolutions  and  varying  vicissitudes  of  external 
condition,  aspired  after,  and  sighed  for  lights  and  aids  of 
the  specific  character  of  those  furnished  by  revelation- 
and  if  these,  therefore,  be  subtracted  from  the  sum  of  its 


62  RELATIVK  CLAIMS  OF 

hopes  and  its  fears  by  infidelity,  a  dark  and  cheerless  void 
ensues,  from  which  all  that  is  immortal  in  man  recoils  with 
intuitive  horror  !     The  proof  of  tliis,  is  interwoven  with 
the  history,  religion,  and  language  of  every  nation  under 
heaven ;  and  to  doubt,  is  to  avow  utter  ignorance  of  the 
whole  subject.     In  the  case,  moreover,  of  those   nations, 
who  feeling  the    incompetency  of    natural    religion   as  a 
moral  guide,  and  despairing  of  the  adventitious  helps  and 
direction  of  any  other  and  further  revelation,  have  aban- 
doned themselves  to  the  dominion  of  the  inferior  principles 
of  their  nature,  who  does  not  know  the  utter  degeneracy  — 
the  hopeless  and  revolting  debasement  into  which  idolatry 
and  irreligion  have  sunk  them  !     And  here  again,  nature's 
doubtful  guidance  is  appealed  to  in  vain,  and  we  are  left 
without   remedy,   unless    Christianity  be   true !      But  we 
have,  perhaps,  elaborated  this  subject  sufficiently  to  satisfy 
the  candid  and  well-informed,  that  taking  the  known  moral 
condition,  and  the  actual  facts  and  Avants  of  human  nature, 
as  the  basis  of  the  argument,  and  allowing  ourselves  to  be 
jruided  bv  nature's  indications,   as  far  as  they  reach  — 
that  having  done  this,  we  find  a  striking  appositeness  —  an 
irresistible  relevancy  in   the    Christiaii   revelation,  to  the 
facts  and  wants  of  our  nature,  which  renders  its  Divine 
orio-in,  in  common  with  the  religion  of  nature,  conclusive 
and  irresistible. 

We  thus  perceive,  that  natural  theology  prepares  the 
mind  to  receive  further  disclosures,  in  relation  both  to  the 
objects  it  reveals,  and  the  morality  it  inculcates.  The 
inquirer  is  conducted  to  a  point  at  which  he  descries  much, 
dimly  however,  and  unsatisfactorily,  and  the  effect  is,  to 
give  sobriety  and  earnestness  of  inquiry,  in  view  of  further 
and  more  conclusive  information.  It  pre-occupies  the 
mind,  both  with  the  hope  and  the  conviction  of  the  necessity 
in  future  and  more  decisive  manifestations.     By  an  irre- 


CHRISTIANIxr  AND   INFIDELITY.  63 

sistible  law  of  our  common  nature,  we  make  what  we 
know,  the  standard  of  what  we  do  not  know ;  and  in  this 
way,  the  partial  light  and  glimmerings  of  nature,  would 
fix  attention  upon  other  kindred  developments,  rendered 
probable  by  these.  The  human  mind  would  naturally 
subject  the  Divine  conduct,  so  far  as  known,  to  the 
classification  which  all  related  phenomena  receive,  and 
from  what  had  taken  place,  would  be  led  to  infer  what 
might;  and  in  view  of  antecedent  facts  and  data,  probably 
would. 

But  laying  Christianity  aside,  here  again  we  are  bewil- 
dered by  nature.  Unity  of  operation  is  one  of  the  most 
distinctive  characteristics  of  the  Divine  conduct,  and  having 
satisfied  ourselves  of  the  infinite  benevolence  of  Deity, 
assured,  moreover,  that  he  has  once  made  a  direct  commu- 
nication of  his  mind  and  will  to  man,  by  impressing  his 
love  upon  the  hearts  of  all,  in  the  event  of  the  obliteration 
and  inefficacy  of  this  fii'st  impression,  is  it  not  infinitely 
likely  from  what  has  preceded,  that  he  would  repeat  such 
direct  communication,  and  with  additional  clearness  and 
sanctions,  furnish  man  with  the  information  so  essential  to 
his  eternal  interests  ?  If  there  be  no  further  —  no  after 
disclosures,  beyond  the  reach  and  range  of  those  of  natural 
theology,  then  it  follows,  from  fair  implication  of  the 
general  argument  already  attende'd  to,  that  hopes,  unequivo- 
cally inspired  by  natural  religion,  must  perish,  and  perish 
forever  !  And  the  moral  blight  becomes  not  only  the  ruin 
of  earth,  but  the  dishonor  of  Heaven  ! 

But  further,  the  human  mind  is  confessedly  a  creation  ; 
its  primary  character,  therefore,  —  the  law  of  its  being, 
was  received  from  the  intelligence  and  purposes  giving  id 
birth,  and  so  far,  all  mind  is  a  revelation  of  Godhead. 
Take  then,  the  original  intellectual  habitudes,  and  moral 
tendencies  of  the  human  mind,  and  what  they  indicate, 


64  RELATIVE   CLAIMS  OF 

must  be  presumed  to  be  true.  It  is  the  remit  of  Divine 
arrangement. —  It  is  God's  own  handwriting,  and  pointing 
lo  future  and  furtlier  revelations  of  his  character  and 
perfections,  and  especially  his  purposes  with  regard  to 
man,  we  must  receive  these  pre-ordered  phenomena  of 
mind,  as  prophetic  of  something,  equivalent,  at  least,  to  the 
revelations  of  Christianity.  Reject  Christianity,  however, 
and  all  these  phenomena  are  deceptive  and  unmeaning  ! 
It  is  a  fact  which  must  always  compel  the  admiration  of 
intelligence,  that  all  the  great  difficulties,  and  most  per- 
plexing problems  started,  and  formally,  or  by  implication, 
hypothecated  by  natural  theology,  are  defects  resolved  by 
Christianity.  Thus  teaching  us  the  salutary  lesson,  that 
while  natural  theology  is  only  adapted  to  our  nature,  in  a 
state  of  unsinful  vigor  and  moral  health,  the  adaptations 
of  Christianity  proceed  upon  the  datum  —  the  humbling 
truth  of  its  disordered  and  fallen  condition. 

Among  the  difficulties  under  which  natural  theology 
labors,  we  may  notice,  by  way  of  further  specification,  not 
its  paucity,  but  its  absolute  want  of  information  respecting 
the  character,  views,  and  conduct  of  the  early  part  of 
mankind  ;  for  it  must  occur  to  every  philosophic  observer 
of  the  operation  of  moral  causes  and  effects,  that  the 
conduct  of  men  for  a  succession  of  ages,  first  after  their 
creation,  ought  to  be  considered,  as  furnishing  very  impor- 
tant data,  in  the  construction  of  any  system  of  natural 
theology.  Such  data,  however,  natural  theology  cannot 
appeal  to  ;  nor  can  any  system  of  ethical  inquiry  do  so, 
without  borrowing  from  Christianity,  whose  history  of  the 
world,  for  nineteen  hundred  years  at  least,  after  the  reputed 
date  of  its  creation,  is  the  only  one,  authentic  or  otherwise, 
extant  under  heaven.  And  when  we  gravely  turn  to  such 
facts  as  these,  which  accumulate  upon  our  notice  at  every 
step,  what,  we  ask,  is  the  lesson  taught  ?     Is  it  not,  that 


CIlRISTIANITr  AND    INFlDELITr.  65 

want  and  supply,  on  the  part  of  natural  and  revealed 
religion,  are  convincingly  correlative  and  coincident  in  all 
their  known  relations  ?  And  is  this,  we  would  further  ask, 
a  chance  result,  or  is  it  traceable  to  omniscient  design? 

In  reply  to  this  reasoning,  it  may  be  urged, —  if  the 
necessity  of  such  a  system  as  the  Cliristian  revelation  be 
so  conclusively  desiderated  by  natural  tlieology,  why  was 
the  needed,  indispensable  boon  so  long  withheld  ?  and  the 
suggestion  is  certainly  entitled  to  notice.  In  answering 
the  objection,  it  may  be  suggested  in  return,  that  what 
degree  of  revelation  was  best  suited  to  the  early  condition 
and  circumstances  of  mankind,  may  be  a  question  of  mucK 
more  importance  than  is  ususally  supposed.  Heaven  may 
have  seen  that  the  rude  and  unsettled  state  of  mankind 
during  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world's  history,  was  incom- 
patible with  a  just  appreciation,  and  faithful  transmission 
of  the  momentous  truths  of  revelation,  subsequently  given 
to  man.  The  importance  and  immensity  of  the  interest 
involved  may  have  rendered  it  necessary,  in  the  Divine 
judgment,  to  withhold  the  communication  until  a  more 
advanced  state  of  knowledge  and  civic  improvement  should 
prepare  the  world  for  its  reception.  Meanwhile,  the  inter- 
mediate manifestations  of  the  character  and  attributes  of 
God  would  be  gradually  applaining  the  way  for  the  more 
perfect  communication  of  his  will.  If  the  depravity  of 
man,  in  the  early  ages  of  the  world,  revolted  from  the 
ethical  purity  of  natural  religion,  what  must  not  have  been 
the  effect,  had  that  depravity  been  disturbed  by  the  clear 
and  culminating  effulgence  of  revelation  ?  Or  further. 
Heaven  may  have  had  judicial  purposes  and  punitive 
issues  in  view,  by  the  withholdment,  until  the  accomplish- 
ment of  which,  it  was  not  proper  to  furnish  mankind  with 
the  light  of  revelation,  except  partially,  and  through  the 
media  to  which  we   have  asked  your  attention  ;  that  is, 

VOL.   II — 6. 


41 


66  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

nature  and  providence.  These  problems  may  be  too  dififi- 
cult  for  the  solution  of  mortal  wisdom,  but  they  speak,  at 
least,  more  in  our  favor  than  against  us. 

It  belongs  to  the  very  nature  —  it  enters  into  the  speci- 
fic essence  of  moral  government,  that  it  must  have  sanctions. 
This  is  a  truth  of  natural  theology.  We  learn  it  without 
going  beyond  the  catechism  of  nature,  and  the  whole 
lesson  taught  by  God's  moral  administration  of  our  world, 
is  to  the  same  effect.  Heaven  and  earth,  with  a  thousand 
oro'ans,  and  in  accents  and  characters  not  to  be  misunder- 
stood,  have  proclaimed  it  to  each  succeeding  generation. 
By  eternal  ordination,  affecting  all  created  intelligence, 
virtue  and  obedience  are  rewarded,  and  vice  and  rebellion 
punished.  In  the  instance  then,  of  those  who  have  declined 
the  authority,  and  cast  from  them  the  friendship  of  Heaven, 
what  provision  is  there, —  what  warrant  for  reconciliation  ? 
What  indemnity  asserts  the  majesty  of  offended  law,  or 
vindicates  the  purity  of  injured  Godhead  ?  Can  nature 
furnish  any  ?  Alas  !  so  far  from  it,  the  first  cry  of  guilt 
struck  her  oracles  dumb,  ages  back  beyond  the  memory  of 
history,  and  no  echo  has  since  been  heard  !  It  will  be 
said,  that  repentance  and  contrition  are  available.  This 
position  is  at  variance  with  all  the  principal  facts  in  man's 
religious  history.  But  grant  it,  for  the  sake  of  advancing 
a  step  in  the  argument.  Allow  that  God  is  gracious  to 
the  penitent,  but  what,  we  ask,  secures  the  first  result ; 
that  is,  sorrow  for  sin  ?  What  warrant  have  we,  that  man, 
in  a  state  of  rebellion  and  alienation  from  God,  will  become 
contrite  ?  What  is  it  guarantees  his  penitence  ?  What 
cause  is  assicfned  to  the  effect  ?  Admit  that  God  will  for- 
give  sin  on  condition  of  repentance,  what  is  there  to 
enlighten  man,  and  lead  him  to  repentance  ?  What  law 
in  the  statute  book  of  nature  secures  repentance  on  condi- 
tion of  .'sin  ?     Say,  he  that   repents  shall  be  forgiven,  is 


CHRISTIANITY    AND  INFIDEUTV.  67 

this  to  say,  he  that  sins  shall  repent  ?  We  have  an  effect 
here,  utterly  unaccounted  and  provided  for  —  vi'iihout  any 
adequate  cause.  Here  nature  teaches  nothing  ;  in  the  long 
roll  of  ages,  no  voice  has  proceeded  from  her.  It  is  a 
department  in  the  great  school  of  nature,  in  which  there 
has  never  been  a  teacher.  The  very  interposition  which 
revelation  assumes,  is  necessary  to  give,  even  repentance, 
to  man,  as  the  condition  of  forgiveness.  And  here  again, 
the  greater  and  the  lesser  lights  —  the  hemispheres  of  light 
and  darkness,  nature  and  revelation,  must  as  heretofore, 
the  one  supply  what  the  other  lacks.  Natural  theology,  it 
is  true,  assumes  the  goodness, —  the  beneticence  of  Deity  ; 
but  man's  rebellion,  as  we  have  seen,  is  equally  assumed, 
and  how  does  nature  dispose  of  the  difficulty  ?  Intidelity 
says,  it  is  enough  if  God  be  good ;  Christianity  replies,  if 
God  be  good,  he  must  be  just ;  if  just,  he  must  punish  sin ; 
and  in  the  person  of  the  sinner  too,  unless  there  be  a  reason 
for  his  not  doing  so,  superior  to  the  claims  and  dignity  of 
the  law  violated  by  sin.  Is  such  a  reason  found  in  mere 
rearet  ?  Is  human  sorrow  such  a  reason  ?  Are  these 
superior  to  the  eternal  law  of  moral  order  in  the  govern- 
ment of  God  ?  Does  such  regret  or  sorrow  disarm  sutTer- 
ino-  and  want,  disease  and  death,  among  the  weeping 
families  of  earth  ?  Does  it  kindle  the  relentings  of  the  God 
and  Judge  of  all,  in  the  ordinary  infliction  of  his  judicial 
chastisements  ?  And  not  effectual  here,  will  it  be  in  the 
instance  of  the  extraordinary  ?  Does  repentance  turn  away 
the  stroke  of  death  ?  Does  it  stay  the  visitations  of  pesti- 
lence and  famine  ?  If  not,  (and  all  know  the  negative  to 
be  true,)  neither  can  it  prevent  the  higher  and  more  fearful 
retributions  incurred  by  sin.  The  dream  to  this  effect,  we 
know  is  indulged  by  many  —  when  that  of  ignorance,  it  is 
folly,  but  the  supposition  by  philosophy  is  madness  !  It 
may  be  asked,  does  Christianity  remove  these  evils  ?     It 


68  KELATIVE  CLAIMS  OP 

does ;  securing  a  method  of  forgiveness,  it  remedies  the 
great  failure  of  nature,  and  throws  up  a  pathway  of  com- 
munication between  heaven  and  earth  ;  and  the  lesser  evils 
JUS  the  offspring  of  the  greater,  say,  suffering  and  death  as 
the  result  of  sin,  are  modified  and  controlled  by  their  incor- 
poration into  a  system  of  moral  discipline,  effectively 
inservient  to  all  the  interests  of  both  life  and  immortality  ! 
Revelation  assumes  no  change  in  the  great  principles  of 
moral  rectitude,  although  it  accounts  for  a  modification  of 
their  application  and  influence.  It  is  a  republication  of  the 
law  of  nature,  but  with  material  additions  ;  and  the  great 
specialities  of  revelation,  not  found  in  natural  religion,  are 
to  be  accounted  for  on  the  grounds  of  the  very  distinctive 
fact,  that  it  is  given  to  supply  the  defects  of  that  system. 
It  is  ostensibly  a  Divinely  furnished  and  accredited  mani- 
festation of  the  will  and  purposes  of  God,  a  manifestation 
of  his  character  in  relation  to  those  subjects  and  interests 
on  which  the  religion  of  nature  is  silent,  or  at  least  defec- 
tive. 

It  has  been  strongly  and  ably  urged  against  the  claims 
of  revelation,  that  it  is  not  universal  —  is  not  found  in 
the  hands  of  all.  The  same,  however,  is  true  of  natural 
religion.  Its,  disclosures  are  accessible  to  all,  and  yet 
comparatively  few  avail  themselves  of  these  disclosures, 
to  any  practical  purpose,  and  the  objection  is  as  valid  in 
the  one  case  as  the  other.  This  philosophical  exception, 
however,  is  entitled  to  respectful  and  considerate  notice, 
and  so  of  every  other  urged  with  any  semblance  of  reason 
or  fairness.  We  would  challenge  rather  than  repress  free- 
dom of  inquiry;  and  prejudice  and  prepossession, —  the 
cant  and  paralysis  of  creed  and  party,  as  such,  we  abjure. 
If  we  tread  on  the  thistle  of  pliilosophical  unbelief,  it  is 
not  because  it  does  not  bear  figs,  this  was  never  expected, 
but  because  it  is  found  upon  ground  we  have  a  right  to 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  69 

occupy  for  other  and  more  important  purposes,  and  cannot 
occupy  without  such  aggression.  In  reply  then,  it  may 
be  remarked,  that  the  original  law  of  God,  the  internal  law 
of  the  heart,  in  the  state,  and  during  the  dispensation  of 
man's  innocence  —  a  state  and  dispensation  assumed  alike 
by  natural  and  revealed  religion, —  this  law  was,  by  the 
voluntary  defection  of  mankind,  soon  obliterated,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  and  hundreds  of  millions  of  the  human  race 
have  lived  and  died  in  all  periods  and  parts  of  the  world, 
without  the  knowledge  or  worship  of  God,  required  by 
this  law.  But  is  this  an  argument  found  deep  in  the 
philosophy  of  things,  and  invalidating  the  claims  of  natural 
religion  ?  Certainly  not.  And  if  not,  no  more  can  the 
objection  just  urged  hold  good  against  Christianity,  If 
the  earlier  revelation  was  rejected  and  abused  by  man, 
why  not  the  latter  ? 

Two  other  views,  however,  may  be  taken  of  this  subject 
especially.  In  view  of  the  ruin  and  debasement  of  our 
moral  nature,  it  may  have  been  seen,  that  the  ignorance 
and  perverseness  of  man,  which  led  to  the  abuse  and  rejec- 
tion of  natural  religion,  Avould  lead  to  a  similar  result  in 
the  instance  of  the  revealed,  and  that  a  universal,  unre- 
stricted publication  of  Christianity,  would  only  enhance  the 
guilt  of  time,  and  the  horrors  of  eternity,  with  the  great 
mass  of  mankind  ;  and  hence,  goodness  would  withhold  it. 
Or  again,  and  most  probably,  as  the  want  of  universality 
with  regard  to  the  first,  taking  into  the  estimate  the 
successive  generations  of  man,  was  the  result  of  human 
purpose  —  of  determined  impiety,  so  Christianity,  which 
is  addressed  to  all,  but  for  such  purpose  and  impiety, 
might  long  since  have  been  the  religion  of  the  world.  The 
fault  therefore, —  the  cause  of  the  limited  prevalence  of  the 
one  and  the  other,  belongs  to  man  and  not  to  God.  It 
results  from  human  wickedness,  and  not  Divine  arranoe- 


#r 


70  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

ment.  Noi-  should  it  be  overlooked,  tlial  Cliristianity, 
aware  of  such  cause,  repeatedly  announced  its  operation 
and  result  to  the  world  in  terms  the  most  explicit,  and 
thus,  by  prophetic  anticipation,  made  the  world  familiar 
with  a  fact  —  man's  rejection  of  Christianity,  a  hundred 
years  since,  which  infidelity  without  shame  now  pleads  in 
bar  to  her  reception,  although  the  objection  itself,  however 
urged,  involves  a  demonstration  of  the  unearthly  origin  of 
the  system  it  impugns  ! 

There  is  another  aspect  in  which  tliis  topic  in  entitled  to 
be  considered. —  Millions  of  the  human  family,  (and  a 
tabular  view  of  the  comparative  spread  of  the  gospel  for 
the  last  eighteen  centuries,  will  include  perhaps  more  than 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  millions  of  the  human  race,) 
have  manifested  little  or  no  aversion  to  the  great  objective 
truths  of  Christianity, —  the  favor  and  friendship  of  Heaven, 
together  with  the  high  recompenses  of  eternity,  and  have 
confined  their  repugnance  and  distaste,  or  hostility  and 
rejection,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  the  ethics, —  the  require- 
ments of  the  gospel,  thereby  furnishing  proof  that  what 
may  be  termed  the  light  of  Christianity,  has  approved 
itself  to  the  intelligence,  but  its  holiness  has  been  revolted 
from  by  the  depravity  of  the  world.  We  have  seen  that 
the  steps  and  stages  taken  and  achieved  by  natural  theology 
are  only,  and  yet  obviously  initial,  and  their  importance  — 
indeed,  their  having  any  value  at  all,  depends  upon  the 
series  which  is  to  follow.  No  series  following,  however, 
we  have  only  signs  without  significance ;  and  all  must  per- 
ceive at  once,  that  by  such  a  process,  we  are  transferred 
from  the  pupilage  of  nature  to  ihe  training  and  direction 
of  Christianity,  or  else  it  follows,  that  we  have  been  deserted 
by  nature,  and  left  to  ourselves.  And  as  if  more  fully 
to  develop  this  truth,  even  the  feelings  of  mankind  contain 
"within  themselves  the  assurances  of  greater  good  and  more 


f  • 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  71 

formidable  evil,  and  these  of  longer  date  than  would  seem 
to  be  fully  accredited,  although  certainly  suggested  by 
nature.  To  understand,  therefore,  fully  the  basis  and  the 
Dourne  of  our  hopes  and  fears,  it  is  necessary  that  the  two 
systems  be  taken  into  the  account,  and  studied  correla- 
tively.  Natural  theology  as  presentient  of  something  better, 
and  Christianity,  as  the  wider  and  more  perfect  dispensa- 
tion, intended  to  supply  its  defects.  As  an  illustration  of 
this,  it  has  been  noticed  that  death,  even  in  the  light  of 
natural  theology,  is  regarded  as  an  evil,  and  part  of  a  penal ' 
dispensation  connected  with  transgression ;  but  beyond  this, 
nature  has  never  been  able  to  penetrate.  Christianity,  how- 
ever, takes  up  the  subject  where  nature  left  it,  and  following 
in  the  path  of  nature's  indications,  so  far  as  to  show  the 
strictly  penal  aspects  of  death,  as  conjectured  by  the  reli- 
gion of  nature,  stops  not  here,  but  proceeds  to  connecc 
death  with  ulterior  and  specifio  purposes  in  the  Divine 
procedure  as  it  regards  man.  Christianity  assumes  that 
death  is  not  a  final  dissolution  of  the  elements  of  human 
nature,  but  a  temporary  severance,  in  view  of  ultimate 
re-union  and  renovated  perfection.  And  how  much  more 
satisfactory  are  these  disclosures  than  the  guesses  and 
conjectures  of  those  who  reject  them! — Who  obstinately 
continue  in  a  state  of  dream  and  reverie,  however  rebuked 
by  facts,  or  upbraided  by  expedience  1  Who,  having 
learned  the  alphabet  of  theology,  doggedly  assume  there 
is  nothing  more  to  learn !  and  who  are,  ever  and  anon, 
vauntingly  presenting  you  with  the  net  quotient  of  a  pro- 
blem iu  morals  they  boast  to  have  solved,  indulging  in 
self-felicitations  of  extraordinary  sagacity,  at  the  same 
time,  iu  having  done  it,  without  either  divisor  or  dividend! 
Allow  that  nature,  as  contended,  is  a  vast  volume  of  reve- 
lation, yet  its  light  is  found  to  be  too  shadowy  and  indistinct 
to  be  relied  on  finally.     It  i^i  indeed,  a  God- written  apoca- 


• 


72  RELATIVE   CLAIMS  OF 

lypse,  but  one  of  symbols  and  mysteries,  and  given,  doubt- 
less, to  be  solved  and  interpreted  by  another.  Beside,  its 
revelations  are  partial  and  imperfect,  applying  bulh  to  the 
subjects  embraced,  and  others  not  included  at  all,  and 
hence,  requires  to  be  both  explained  and  supplemented. 
We  see  the  rainbow  before  us  in  beauty  and  enchantment, 
but  we  can  only  understand  its  philosophy  and  significance 
by  an  appeal  to  the  sun  shining  behind  us. —  Nature  is 
only  understood  in  the  light  of  Christianity; — the  last 
must  explain  the  first.  In  nature  we  have  much,  in  Chris- 
tianity all,  even  more  than  was  prophesied  in  nature. 

Once  more,  the  general  argument  we  are  conducting  is 
farther  strengthened  by  the  fact, —  a  fact  of  the  utmost 
relative  importance  in  this  inquiry,  that  the  amount  of 
Christian  evidence  has  been  immeasurably  enhanced  by  the 
direct  and  incidental  contributions  of  the  various  divisions 
of  literature  and  science,  in  their  gradual  progress  and 
development  towards  their  present  state  of  comparative 
perfection.  The  accessions  to  the  great  mass  of  Christian 
evidence  from  this  quarter,  especially  for  the  last  half 
century,  have  been  splendid  and  imposing ;  and  as  these 
accessions,  as  such,  were,  in  most  instances,  unstudied  and 
tinintended,  they  are  the  more  valuable  on  this  account. 
In  this  way,  the  early  origin  and  after  history  of  the 
Christian  religion  have  received  additional  light  and  splen- 
dor, to  an  almost  incredible  extent,  from  the  recovery, 
reproduction,  or  bringing  to  light  of  much  that  is  curious, 
and  it  may  be  useless  in  itself,  but,  as  connected  with  the 
ancient  grandeur  of  Eastern  civilization,  in  the  center,  and 
at  the  height  of  which,  Christianity  made  her  appearance, 
the  effect  has  been  to  throw  around  the  latter  an  addiiional 
halo  of  interest  and  honor.  This  view  of  the  subject  is 
entitled  to  a  moment's  amplification. —  Reflect  then,  tiiac 
the  great  Ciiristian  document  —  the  Bible,  is  a  singular, — 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  73 

a  most  extraordinary  production.,  viewed  only  as  a  question 
of  literary  interest.  It  is  from  five  to  seven  hundred  years 
older  than  any  other  literary  offspring  of  the  human  mind. 
For  modern  research  has  shown  that  the  boasted  antiquity 
of  the  Sanscrit  literature,  and  the  rival  claims  of  the  Chi- 
nese, require  confirmation  they  are  never  likely  to  receive. 
Between  the  dates  of  the  composition  of  its  first  and  its  last 
parts — the  Genesis  and  Apocalypse  of  revelation,  full  sixteen 
centuries  intervene.  Its  historical  information  covers  forty- 
one  hundred  years  of  the  world's  history  !  Look  also  at 
the  extent  of  territory,  as  well  as  time  ;  look  too  at  the 
epochs,  the  persons,  the  events,  the  customs,  and  the 
usages  included,  and  certainly  we  shall  be  prepared  to 
expect  that  the  comparatively  recent  resurrection  of  ancient 
literature,  science,  and  art,  would  contribute,  if  not  to 
strengthen,  why  of  necessity,  to  re-awaken  the  Christian 
argument.  One  or  the  other  must  supervene  upon  the 
result.  Instead,  however,  of  weakening,  or  invalidatino- 
in  any  way,  or  to  any  extent,  Christianity  has  been  rela- 
tively, but  eflectively  fortified  by  collateral  evidence  and 
incidental  illustration  which  no  ingenuity  or  sophistry  will 
ever  be  able  to  impair.  And  the  effect  is,  that  that  which, 
heretofore,  was  found  impregnable  upon  trial,  is  now 
becoming  so  formidable  as  to  ward  off  even  attack.  The 
same  is  true,  moreover,  in  relation  to  the  whole  ran^-e  ot 
the  sciences  ;  and  the  more  modern,  though  lust,  not  least. 
What  science,  existing  in  any  state  of  tolerable  perfection, 
has  not  contributed  to  the  cause  of  Christian  evidence  ? 
And  especially,  have  such  contributions  been  derived  from 
the  increasing  perfection  of  the  philosophy  of  mind  and  of 
morals  ;  also,  from  nearlv  the  entire  catalofrue  of  the  natu- 
ral  sciences,  and  pre-eminently,  have  astronomy  and  geology 
been  laid  under  contribution  to  this  effect.  And  it  is  a  very 
remarkable  fact  in  the  history  of  these  coincidences,  that 

VOL.    II  — 7. 


71  BELAXIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

they  have  more  generally  been  developed,  not  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  progress  of  the  sciences,  but  when  they  have 
reached  a  degree, —  a  manhood  of  perfection,  in  which  they 
were  prepared  to  descend  to  the  nature  of  things,  and  con- 
nect consequences  with  the  causes  controlling  their  occur- 
rence.    Nearly  all  the  sciences,  in  the  early  stages  of  their 
progress,  owing   not   to    their   native    tendency,   but   the 
character  of  the  men  and  minds,  by  which  they  have  been 
cultivated,  have  been  so  far  subjected  to  misdirection,  as  to 
manifest  a  prurient  inclination  to  declare  themselves  inde- 
pendent  of   Christianity.      Helvetius   and   La   Place   are 
examples  to  this  effect  in  the  departments,  respectively,  of 
moral  and  natural  science,     Nor  has  philosophical  inlidelity 
been  without  its  gleanings  in  this  way.     Objections  and 
exceptions,  however,  originating  in  this  way,  have  had  very 
little  Jinal  influence  upon  the  collective  mind  of  mankind. 
They  have  been  not  unlike  the  "sunbeams  falling  upon  the 
uureceiving  earth ; "  while,  in  the  more  perfected  state  of  the 
sciences,  this  tendency  to  insubordination  and  revolt,  has, 
as  a  general  rule,  been  repressed ;  and  more  extended  and 
profound   induction   has    led    to   a   different, —  a    directly 
opposite  result.     True  philosophy,  in  the  investigation  of 
final  causes  in  nature,  has  always,  and  often  unintentionally, 
furnished  large  accessions  of  evidence  confirmatory  of  the 
truth  of  revelation ;  and  it  has  been  reserved  for  sciolism, 
pedantry,  and   pretension,  resting  in,  and   busied  among 
second  causes  only,  to  affect  a  contempt  for  Christianity 
rarely,   perhaps,   never   felt,   except   by    the    sciolist,   the 
pedant,  and  the  pretender  !     In  the  hands  of  such  men,  the 
theology  of  nature  has  been  little  better  than  an  iynusfatiins, 
makino-  the  dark  still  darker !     In  nature's    statute  book, 
they  read  nothing  aright, —  they  consti'ue  nothing  fairly, 
and   it  becomes  a  huge,  shapeless,  unmeaning,  inane, — 
instead  of  the  great  ground-plan  of  the  government  and 


CHRISTIANIxr  AND  INFIDELITY.  76 

administration  of  Deity,  iu  relation  to  our  fallen  wovld. 
And  it  is  not  unworthy  of  remark,  ihat  this  pseudo-semi- 
inlidel  philosophy  has  usually  found  itself  so  far  in  the  rear 
distance,  that  not  seeing  the  true  ahead,  it  has  actually,  and 
perhaps  honestly,  supposed  itself  to  be  in  the  very  van  of 
discovery  !  This  class  of  discoverers,  in  religion  and 
morals,  are  the  victims  of  a  self-deception,  as  absurd  as  it  is 
fatal,  and  might  be  resembled  to  the  unfortunate  Ixion  of 
classic  memory,  who,  springing  forward  with  bounding 
rapture  to  the  embrace  of  Juno,  found  the  object  of  his 
inspiration  to  be  a  cloud  ! 

The  general  views  of  the  subject  we  have  presented, 
have,  in  almost  every  variety  of  form,  been  brought  to  the 
test  of  facts  and  experience ;  and  the  common  methods  of 
scientific  examination  are  applicable  to  them,  with  scarcely 
any  limitation.  The  necessary  inferences  are  numerous 
and  weighty;  and  cannot  fail,  we  think,  in  the  estimation 
of  those  upon  whom  the  force  of  evidence  is  not  lost,  to 
give  Christianity  a  broad  and  natural  basis  in  the  moral 
order  of  the  universe. 

From  the  cursory,  yet  general  argument  subniitt^d,  we 
derive  the  irresistible  inference,  that  as  Christianity  has 
stood  the  test  of  all  former  time,  has  f5een  under  the  exam- 
ination of  tiie  intellect,  the  malignity,  and  the  interest  of  the 
world,  for  more  than  eighteen  centuries,  without  suffering 
any  diminution  of  her  evidence  or  power, —  battling  with 
the  passions  and  interests  of  ages  and  nations, —  the  uncom- 
promising enmity  of  a  world  "without  God,"  and  yet 
steadily  holding  on  her  course,  she  is  destined,  and  is  thus 
preparing  to  bring,  not  only  every  thought,  as  giving  color 
and  character  to  action,  but  the  whole  encyclopedia  of 
learning  and  science  as  the  offspring  of  mind,  "into  cap- 
tivity to  the  obedience  of  Christ !"  And  we  infer  this,  as 
rationally  from  the  theology  of  nature,  and  the  philosophy 


76  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

of  facts  and  things,  as  certainly  from  the  prophetic  assur- 
ances of  revelation.  Look  at  the  lights,  the  notices,  and 
aids  of  natural  theology  which  have  passed  under  review, — 
its  extended  apparatus  of  means  and  appliances — of  train- 
ino"  and  trial,  and  all  lookincr  forward  to  somethinf!-  further 
and  future,  as  the  realization  of  its  hopes  and  convictions, 
and  then,  as  an  argument  ad  absurdum,  assume,  as  infidel- 
ity does,  the  whole  to  be  a  lie  and  a  cheat !  No  binding 
principle  of  harmony  in  the  moral  system,  by  which  moral 
data  connect  themselves  with  moral  results, —  no  law  of 
unerrino-  arrano-ement  in  the  moi'al  constitution  of  things, 
answering  to  the  principle  of  gravitation  in  the  physical, 
but  all  tending  to  nought  —  unfit  —  out  of  place,  and 
chance-begotten,  —  nothing  in  the  ever-living  universe, 
external  to  man,  to  meet  and  satisfy  the  irrepressible  anxi- 
eties, the  unutterable  longings,  which  thrill  and  agitate  his 
being  !  Assume  this,  and  what  a  waste  have  we  here  of 
thought  and  feeling, —  thought,  that  added  to  the  light  of 
the  universe,  and  feeling,  worthy  of  glowing  in  the  bosom 
of  God  !  And  what  an  insulting  superfluity  of  endowment 
too,  upon  the  infidel  hypothesis  !  Capacity,  measureless  as 
thought  and  feeling, — high  as  heaven, — ^deep  as  hell,  and 
yet,  damned  wiihout*liope  to  the  cruelty  of  immortal  disap- 
pointment! And  not  only  this,  (for  consequences  of  less 
magnitude  are  not  unworthy  of  note,  —  they  show  the 
unphilosophical,  as  well  as  irreligious  tendency  of  unbelief,) 
—  not  only  this,  but  into  what  unmeaning  insignificance, — 
into  what  miserable  sesquipedalia  verba,  are  the  very  lan- 
guage and  poetry  of  natural  religion,  despite  their  conse- 
cration by  the  use  of  ages,  made  to  degenerate  !  And  let 
it  not  be  forgotten,  that  it  has  been  an  attempt  to  solve  the 
diflicult  problems  of  natural  theology,  (to  which  we  have 
asked  attention)  without  appealing  to  Christianity,  which 
has  driven  infidelity  thus  to  prejudice  and  dishonor  its  own 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELlxr.  77 

claims,  by  putting  such  a  degrading  mockery  upon  the 
character,  both  of  God  and  man  ! 

You  will  perceive,  the  burden  of  the  present  lecture  is, 
an  attempt  to  estimate  further  than  was  found  practicable 
in  the  former,  to  what  extent,  and  with  what  exceptions, 
natural  theology  and  Christianity  are  related  systems.  The 
nature  and  extent  of  the  relations  implied,  constitute  what 
may  be  termed  the  identity  of  the  systems;  while  the 
exception  —  the  qualifications  with  which  we  assume  such 
identity,  will  fix  attention  upon  the  systems,  viewed  in 
contact,  and  will  lead  us,  especially  to  notice  the  distinctive 
character  of  Cliristianity,  as  a  system  of  moral  discovery. 
We  are  not  yet  prepared,  however,  for  this  last  view  of  the 
subject.  There  is  intermediate  ground  to  be  occupied, — 
difficulties  to  be  disposed  of, — and  advantages  of  which  we 
have  a  right  to  avail  ourselves,  the  neglect  of  which  might 
betray  us  into  scarcely  obvious,  if  not  illogical  conclusions. 
This,  we  would  avoid  ;  and  hence,  the  reason  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  present  lecture.  To  give  the  subject  now 
engaging  our  attention,  a  fair  and  impartial  examination, 
we  should  approach  it,  as  if  for  the  first  time,  and  with  all 
possible  fi-eedom  from  every  thing  like  biased  feeling  or 
prepossession.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  this  is  well  nigh 
impossible,  the  discussion,  on  the  part  both  of  the  lecturer 
and  the  audience,  becomes  as  difficult  as  it  is  important. 
It  need  scarcely  be  suggested,  for  example,  tliat  to  project 
the  mind  beyond  the  ordinary  sphere  of  its  accustomed 
range,  is  always  attended  with  danger  as  well  as  difficulty. 
The  hazard  is  incurred  of  going  too  far,  or  of  not  aroina: 
far  enougli, —  of  transcending  or  of  falling  short  of  the 
specific  point  of  view,  best  calculated  to  secure  the  object 
aimed  at. 

These  hazards  and  difficulties  meet  us  at  almost  every 
step,  and  have  to  be  guarded  against.    There  is  also  another 


78  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

difficulty,  connected  with  the  examination  of  this  subject, 
into  which  all  are  but  too  prone  to  plunge.     It  is  the  vanity 
—  the  folly  of  supposing  it  possible  to  explain  every  thing, 
and  thus  relieve  the  subject  of  all  difficulty  and  obscurity. 
We  candidly  avow  the  conviction,  however,  that  neither  is 
possible.     What  work  of  God, — what  production  of  infinite 
Intelligence  can  the  human  mind  grasp  and  analyze  in  all 
its  relations  and  bearings  ?      The  most  we  can  hope  to 
accomplish,  will  be  to  produce  a  conviction  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity,  too  strong  to  be  overcome  by  any  difficul- 
ties we  may   meet   with  in  the    investigation  ;    and   this 
imperfection  of  knowledge  is  an  inevitable  condition  of  every 
kind  of  truth,  every  class  of  evidence,  and  every  species 
of  conviction  or  persuasion,  with  which  the  human  mind 
ever  has  been,  or  perhaps  ever  will  be  conversant  on  earth. 
We  have,  therefore,  no  cause  of  surprise,  or  right  of  com- 
plaint in  this  instance,  as  it  is  a  limitation  applicable  to  all 
human  knowledge,  of  whatever  kind.     And  beside,  the  force 
even  of  truth,  is  always  more  or  less  contingent,  depend- 
ing upon   the   condition  of  the  understanding  addressed. 
If  the  mind  be  in  an  unhealthy  state, —  if  it  be  engrossed 
or  pre-occupied  with  other  interests  and  excitements,  truth 
may  be  presented  —  may  be  unveiled  in  all  its  beauty  and 
majesty  without  effect  ;  and  no  moral  system  has  noticed 
this  fact  in  the  philosophy  of  mind,  in  our  common  history, 
with  greater  emphasis  than   Christianity  ;   for  it  concedes 
that  even  the  unrivaled  teaching  of  the  Son  of  God,  attested 
as  it  was  by  unprecedented   manifestations  of  power  and 
goodness,  exerted  no  commanding  influence,  except  among 
the  thoughtful,  the  candid,  and  the  well-disposed. 

But  to  resume  the  argument  in  th§  preceding  lecture, 
we  have  noticed  at  length,  the  very  important,  yet  obvious 
postulate  in  the  prosecution  of  this  inquiry,  that,  to  a  great 
extent,  the  truths  of  natural  theology  —  its  principal  facts 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITT.  79 

and  data,  constitute  tlie  more  ultimate  and  necessary 
premises  of  Christianity.  The  one  is  to  be  regarded  as  a 
scliool  or  discipline  of  primary  instruction  —  a  «ystem  of 
initiation,  properly,  with  reference  to  the  greater  purity  and 
perfection  of  the  other.  And  accordingly,  we  may  proceed 
to  remark,  all  the  great  and  fundamental  truths  which  have 
been  found  to  dawn  upon  us  in  nature,  re-appear  in  Chris- 
tianity with  noonday  brightness.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  our 
special  notice,  that  in  a  comparative  estimate  of  the  two 
systems,  we  have,  not  a  iew  occasional  resembling  elements, 
or  points  of  identity,  but  a  pervading  unity  of  j^firpose  and 
provision.  And  so  entirely  true  is  this  remark,  that  natural 
theology  does  not  furnish  a  single  indication,  turning  upon 
the  question  of  human  happiness,  undisposed  of  by  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  as  strictly  universal  as  the  religion  of  nature. 
It  is  all-comprehensive  in  its  relations  and  application.  It 
disowns  all  limitation  to  country,  age,  or  class.  It  knows 
no  distinction  of  clime  or  tribe.  It  connects  man's  illimita- 
ble capacities  for  improvement  and  progress  with  all  that  is 
unbounded  and  eternal  in  the  Creator.  Pre-eminentlj', 
above  anything  in  natural  theology,  does  it  "honor  all 
men,"  and  thus  assert  the  dignity  of  our  common  origin 
and  nature.  Found  in  harmony  with  the  universality  of 
thino-s,  and  external  toman;  —  perfectly  consistent  with 
the  intellectual  attributes  and  moral  tendencies  of  his 
nature,  as  isolated  and  peculiar,  for  such  it  unquestionably 
is  ; —  confirmed  and  illustrated  by  all  anterior  revelations  ; 
—  addressed  like  knowledge  of  every  kind,  to  the  reason  of 
man,  and  its  claims  subjected  to  the  test  of  this  reason  ;  — 
its  evidences  augmenting  with  the  progressive  advance- 
ment of  our  race  ;  —  the  light  not  of  a  single  age  or  nation, 
but  of  the  world,  not  of  time,  with  its  interests  and  vicissi- 
tudes only,  but  of  eternity,  v.-it]i  its  awards  and  destinies ; 
we  can  only  view  it,  as  the  perfection  of  reason, —  a  mani- 


80  RELATIVE  CLAmS  OF 

festalion  of  eternal  truth,  exhibiting  to  man  a  system  of 
moral  relations,  intended  as  the  bond  and  condition  of  inter- 
course -w^th  God. 

As  the  general  argument  we  are  conducting,  is  based 
upon  the  theology  of  nature,  it  may  be  necessary  to  remark, 
that  the  term  nature  is  generally  used  witli  great  latitude 
and  indistinctness  of  meaning,  and  by  this  very  indetermi- 
nate application  of  the  term,  many  who  are  disposed  to 
reason  and  examine  with  candor,  are  led  astray.  In  the 
use  we  make  of  the  term,  we  mean  no  independent  unde- 
rived  existence,  power,  or  authoriLy.  So  used,  the  term  is 
without  meaning.  It  is  a  fiction  of  man's  creation  ;  —  a 
kind  of  semi-Deity  of  his  own  setting  up.  The  very  term 
itself — its  Latin  primitives,  and  the  cognate  Greek  terms, 
whence  we  have  the  kindred  derivatives  —  physics  and 
physical,  together  with  the  corresponding  terms  in  other 
languages  with  which  immemorial  use  has  made  the  term 
nature  to  synonymize,  all  convey  the  idea  of  derivative, 
productive  creation.  The  term  is  used  to  denote  the  aggre- 
gate, or  more  properly  the  whole  of  things  in  the  sum  of 
existence  about  us.  Nature  is  not  an  independent  sovereio-n 
system.  It  is  the  creation,  the  property,  and  polity  of 
another  ;  and  the  only  energy,  necessity,  or  action  known 
in  nature,  is  derived  from  a  superior,  extrinsic  agency,  ante- 
cedent or  concurrent,  as  the  case  may  be.  In  nature,  we 
find  only  second  causes  —  and  this  is  as  certain  as  any 
demonstration  in  Euclid  or  Newton.  It  is  not  the  ultimate 
cause  of  anything,  not  even  of  an  insect  or  a  flower.  Nature, 
as  such,  and  rightly  understood,  produces  nothing,  owns 
nothing,  does  nothing,  except  subordinately.  Voltaire  lias 
shrewdly  remarked,  in  that  matchless  compound  of  Avisdom 
and  folly,  learning  and  ignorance,  known  as  his  Philosophi- 
cal Dictionary,  that  that  which  is  called  nature,  has  been 
sadly  misnomercd,   and  is  not  nature,  in  ordinary  accepta- 


CHRISTIANITY  AND    IN-FIDELlTT.  81 

tion,  but  art  —  the  work  and  contrivance  of  another.  Inex- 
orably unintelligent,  we  find  nature  finely  geometrized  in 
all  her  parts.  Not  in  herself — then  where  resides  the 
skill  ?  Where  look  for  the  eternal  geometrician,  who  has 
so  admirably  adjusted  her  laws  and  phenomena  ?  When 
we  speak,  therefore,  of  the  works,  the  laws,  the  lessons, 
and  the  indications  of  nature,  it  is  not  intended  that  any  of 
these  are  predicable  of  nature,  in  any  ultimate  sense.  We 
mean  the  works,  the  laws,  and  the  authority  of  God, 
together  with  the  intimations  and  disclosures  of  his  charac- 
ter and  purposes  to  man.  Those  philosophers,  therefore, 
who  use  the  term  nature  so  as  to  exclude  the  agency  of  the 
Author  of  nature,  and  thus  outlaw  him  from  his  own  works 
and  dominions,  in  attempting  to  mislead  others,  by  weigh- 
ing truth  in  the  warped  balance  of  a  perverted  judgment, 
much  more  effectually  deceive  and  wrong  themselves. 
And  others,  who  seem  to  recognize  Divine  agency,  by  way 
of  compromise,  that  they  may  get  rid  of  the  responsibility 
created  by  the  admission,  are  equally  inconsistent,  and  the 
subjects  of  a  s^lf-deception  not  less  fatal.  The  philosophy 
of  such  men  is  not  unlike  the  religion  of  a  class  of  devotees 
satirized  by  Horace,  who  calling  noisily,  and  with  boister- 
ous vehemence  upon  Janus  and  Apollo  at  the  public  sacri- 
fices, did  not  fail  to  remind,  apart  and  in  a  whisper,  the 
beautiful  Laverna,  that  they  should  still  rely  upon  her 
protection,  in  their  more  private  and  interested  villanies  ! 
There  are  those,  you  know,  in  every  department  of  life, 
who  are  wiser  than  others  only  as  they  know  better  how 
to  play  the  fool  ! 

To  return,  however,  mind,  in  strict  propriety  of  languao-e, 
does  not  belong  to  what  we  call  nature  —  does  not  blend 
with  the  mechanism  of  cause  and  effect  —  is  not  massed 
and  geometrized  among  the  elements  and  results  of  matter. 
It  is  not  included  among  the  forms  and  modifications  of 


82  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 


time  and  space,  and  borne  along  amid  the  vortices  and 
catenations  of  physical  cause  and  effect.  It  is  an  indepen- 
dent agency,  as  it  regards  all  these,  and  occupies  a  point 
in  the  universe  from  which  it  looks  down  upon  all,  and 
feels  itself  free  and  superior  to  the  whole  !  In  itself,  it  is 
^capable  of  originating  thought  and  action,  apart  from  the 
common  mechanism  of  nature  ;  and  but  for  such  isolation 
and  independence  in  relation  to  general  nature,  freedom  of 
Avill  and  responsibility,  could  not,  in  any  philosophical 
sense,  be  predicated  of  mind.  Nearly  all  the  religious  and 
philosophical  fatalism  in  the  world  has  originated  in  this 
error  ;  and  on  this  vital  distinction,  overlooked  as  if  by 
conspiracy,  by  most  philosophers  and  theologians,  the  con- 
troversy concerning  freedom  and  necessity,  should  be  made 
principally  to  turn.  Admit  the  distinction  just  made, —  a 
distinction  accredited  by  the  well  ascertained  conclusions 
of  all  science,  physical  as  well  as  moral,  and  the  principal 
difficulty  vanishes  at  once. 


LECTURE    IV. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  and  one  that  has  exerted  great 
influence,  in  the  history  of  religious  opinions,  that  revelation 
has  been  looked  upon,  both  by  infidel  philosophy  and 
popular  ignorance,  as  something  out  of  the  way  —  as  some- 
thing not  in  place  —  something  irregular  and  discordant, 
as  it  regards  the  current  and  ordinary  views  of  mankind, 
in  relation  to  nature  and  providence.  Taking  the  common 
course  of  nature,  and  the  admitted  dispensations  of  Provi- 
dence, revelation  is  looked  upon  as  anomalous,  and  more  or 
less  discrepant,  in  view  of  the  data  these  are  supposed  to 
furnish.  This  error,  for  we  doubt  not  we  shall  convince 
you  it  is  an  error,  has  exerted  a  most  fatal  influence  upon 
the  views  and  opinions  of  a  large  portion  of  mankind, 
aflecting  their  reception  of  the  Christian  religion.  It  is 
important,  therefore,  to  show,  that  there  is  no  fact  connected 
with  the  consciousness  of  our  being,  —  no  established  truth 
belonging  to  the  experience  of  mankind,  — no  ascertained 
views  of  God  or  nature,  interfered  with  in  any  way, 
amounting  to  inconsistency,  by  a  revelation,  suck  as  Chris- 
tianity assumes  to  be.  Indeed,  the  only  real  difficulfy  in 
the  ease  it  occurs  to  us,  is  not  that  revelations  have  been 
received  from  the  Creator  by  his  intellectual  off'spring  — 
his  intelligent  creatures,  but  that  these  revelations  have  not 
been  received  in  greater  number  and  fullness,  or  rather,  that 
revelations  more  ample  and  minute  respecting  himself,  his 
works  and  his  pui'poses,  have  not  been  communicated  Lo 
man,  as  the  only  earthly  intelligence  capable  of  receiving- 
such    communication.       Is    not    God    dishonored    bv    the 

L3      ^ 


84  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

supposition,  that  he  would  create  man,  boundless  in  intel- 
lectual capacity,  and  yet  keep  him  in  ignorance  of  himself? 
Man  has  not  existed  alwa}'s.  The  human  race  is  not 
eternal ;  and  the  madness  of  the  atheistic  philosophy 
excepted,  such  is  the  common  —  the  universal  conviction 
of  the  human  mind.  Man  then,  must  have  been  created. 
And  existing  only  in  virtue  of  a  special  creation,  the  first 
primeval  pair,  the  great  protoplasts  of  the  human  family, 
must  of  necessity,  as  the  terms  imply,  have  been  without 
predecessors  or  associates,  and  of  course,  the  relations  of 
paternity  and  companionship,  of  whatever  kind,  must  have 
been  excluded.  And  hoiv  was  human  nature  taught,  and 
wnence  instruction  deiived,  under  sticli  circumstances  ?  — 
Circumstances  admitted  alike  by  the  theist  and  the  Christian? 
Without  earthly  parentage  or  human  associates,  if  instructed 
at  all,  (and  the  fact  of  instruction  is  an  inevitable  inference,) 
it  must  have  been  by  superior  intelligence  ;  that  is,  by  God 
himself,  or  those  commissioned  by  him  ;  and  this  is  what 
all  understand  by  revelation.  Revelation,  therefore,  was 
the  first  mode  —  the  very  genesis  of  human  knowledge. 
Tlie  history  of  the  human  race  begins  with  it.  It  is  the 
basis,  —  the  ofrand  substratum  of  all  knowledge.  Revela- 
tion  was  the  starting  point  of  all  improvement  —  of  all 
advancement,  on  the  part  of  mankind.  The  course  of  God's 
providence  in  relation  to  our  planet  as  the  residence  of  man, 
and  the  theater  of  his  action  and  development,  began  with 
it.  It  is  the  most  original  —  the  most  primary  of  all  the 
methods  of  instruction  known  to  the  history  of  man ;  and 
is  hence,  the  most  natural  —  the  most  directly  suggested, 
both  by  his  nature  and  relations.  Would  God  create  man, 
and  leave  him  without  instruction  ?  As  the  univeral  Fatlier 
of  all,  would  he  deny  to  his  own  intelligent  ofllspring,  all 
intercourse  of  thought  and  feeling  with  himself?  And 
yet,  such  instruction  and  intercourse  could  only  begin  in 


\ 


CHRISTIANITt    AND  INFIDELITY.  85 

revelation.  Revelation  must  have  furnished  the  first  data 
for  the  exercise  of  both  reason  and  conscience;  and  if 
revelation  was  essential  to  human  nature,  in  its  early  and 
utmost  perfection,  can  it  be  otherwise  than  necessary,  in  its 
degeneracy?  Let  infidelity  answer  at  its  leisure.  This 
view  of  the  subject  is  confirmed  by  the  subsequent  course 
of  nature  and  providence,  and  the  general,  established 
order  of  God's  moral  government,  so  far  as  man  is  con- 
cerned ;  and  we  ask  you  to  notice  it  with  the  emphasis  its 
importance  demands.  Whence  has  man,  in  all  ages  and 
conditions,  received  the  initial  elements  of  knowledge  ? 
Has  it  been  from  nature,  directly,  Avithout  the  process  of 
interpretation,  by  superior  wisdom  and  information  ?  Or 
rather,  is  he  not  indebted  to  the  advanced  intelligence  of 
others,  in  the  shape  of  teaching  and  instruction,  for  all  the 
most  valuable  stores  and  treasures  of  elementary  informa- 
tion ?  But  for  this  could  he  have  advanced  a  single  step  ? 
Would  not  his  ignorance  have  been  invincible  and  per- 
petual ?  Are  not  millions  in  our  world,  even  now,  but  a 
single  remoN'e  from  this,  with  all  their  advantages  ?  And 
what  is  such  teaching  —  such  instruction  but  revelation? 
Is  it  not  a  direct  communication  of  knowledge  from  07ie 
mind  —  from  the  superior  intelligence  of  another,  and  is 
not  this  all  that,  in  sti-ictness,  is  ever  meant  by  revelation  ? 
In  no  direct  sense,  can  the  external  universe  about  us 
become  our  teacher.  So  far  from  it,  it  is  itself  a  volume 
which  has  to  be  unsealed  by  instruction  —  a  rock  that  has 
to  be  smitten  with  the  rod  of  intelligence  before  the  waters 
of  knowledge  flow. 

The  natural  and  necessary  ignorance  of  the  human  mind 
—  of  our  common  nature,  requires  that  the  system  —  the 
laws  and  the  operations  of  nature  surrounding  us,  have  an 
interpreter.  Mind,  in  this  aspect,  can  only  be  enlightened 
and  advanced,  by  mind  possessing  superior  illumination. 


86  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OP 

And  every  such  method  or  measure  of  illumination,  is 
properly,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  revelation.  In 
revelation,  therefore,  as  taught  by  Christianity,  which  in 
strictness,  is  direct,  Divine  teaching",  simply  and  nothing 
else,  we  are  introduced,  so  far  as  method  is  concerned,  to 
no  novel  principle  or  foreign  element  not  recognized  in  the 
common  course  of  nature  and  providence.  Indeed,  educa- 
tion familiarly,  in  all  its  forms,  and  of  whatever  kind,  is 
revelation,  and  nothing  more  or  less. 

Nor  is  this  true,  merely,  as  it  regards  the  direct  method 
—  the  manner  and  medium  of  communication  between  the 
teacher  and  the  taught,  but  the  great  objective  interests  — 
the  prospective  advantages  of  all  education,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  revelation  on  the  other,  as  commonly  understood, 
bear  to  each  other  a  very  striking  analogy.  Education,  for 
example,  does  not  in  any  proportion,  consult  the  present  or 
the  ]past,  as  directly  and  truly  as  the  future.  The  wants, 
the  hopes,  and  the  interests  of  the  future  are  its  immediate 
and  specific  objects,  and  in  like  manner,  revelation  appeals 
to  the  present  and  the  past,  in  relation  to  man,  as  the  data 
of  more  important  arrangements  and  disclosures  connected 
with  the  future.  Preparation  for  the  future  is  alike  the 
object  of  the  first  and  the  last,  and  as  we  are  taught  by  the 
one,  to  prepare  for  the  coming  duties  of  life,  so  it  is  the 
burden  of  the  other,  to  prepare  us  for  the  immortality 
which  is  to  succeed  our  present  mode  of  existence.  It  is 
a  well-known  fact  in  the  philosophy  of  our  being,  that  the 
susceptibilities  and  aptitudes  of  mind,  call  for  action  and 
fruition  such  as  can  only  be  furnished  by  the  communica- 
tion of  the  knowledge  education  implies  ;  and  this  state  of 
advancement  only  places  the  mind  in  an  attitude  to  ask  for 
something  beyond,  answerable  to  the  mind's  receptive 
enlargement,  (by  the  processes  of  instruction)  which  seems 
to  expand,  at  every  step,  in  something  like  geometrical 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  87 

progression.     Now,  as  the  mind's  natural  thirst  and  appe- 
tence, iu  the  first  instance,  are  met  by  the  revelations  of 
intellectual  and  moral  training,  under  the  guidance  of  minds 
of  superior  mental  rank,  does  not  analogy  fairly  promise, 
that  the  awakened  notice  and  anxieties  of  the  mind,  in  the 
last  instance,  shall  be  met  and  satisfied,  in  like  manner  ? 
Thus  viewed,  revelation  is  a  want  of  our  nature,  and  is 
demanded  by  the  exigencies  of  our  being;  and  when  we 
reflect  that  this  want  and  these  exigencies  are  the  result  of 
Divine  appointment,  to  assume,  as  infidelity  does,  that  there 
are  no  arrangements  in  the  Divine  economy  respecting  man, 
answerable  to  what  they  call  for,  is  to  charge  God  with 
want  both  of  wisdom  and  goodness.     Even  a  slight  exami- 
nation of  the  subject  in  this  light,  must  satisfy  the  inquirer 
that  the  whole  stream  of  knowledge  is  thus  traceable  to  two 
distinct    sources  —  revelation     and    self-acquisition,    from 
which  it  descends  with  a  uniformity,  at  once  invariable 
and  necessary.     Nor  can  either  source  be  deemed  sufficient 
without  the  other. 

The  power  of  reason  in  man,  which  prepares  him  for  the 
inductions  of  experience  and  observation,  is  not  an  inde- 
pendent —  an  ultimate,  self-sufficing  power.  It  must  have 
data  whose  existence  is  extrinsic  to  itself,  or  reason  can 
accomplish  nothing,  and  exists  in  name  only.  Examined 
inductively,  all  reason  will  be  found  to  terminate  in  first 
principles,  in  the  ultimate  facts  of  our  own  nature  and 
consciousness.  And  these  facts  and  principles,  as  derived 
from  God,  are  as  truly  a  Divine  communication,  as  the 
disclosures  of  the  Christian  revelation,  by  which  they  are 
succeeded  and  perfected.  And  revelation  thus  becomes 
the  alpha  and  omega, —  the  principium  and  principitus  of 
all  knowledge  in  all  its  possible  forms,  with  which,  in  any 
conceivable  way,  the  human  mind  can  become  enriched  ! 
So  far  from  being  opposed  to  nature,  as  absurdly  assumed 


88  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

by  many,  viewed  abstractly, —  so  far  from  being  in  con- 
travention of  her  laws,  as  alleged  by  infidelity,  it  is  in  fact 
one  of  the  elementary  arrangements  of  the  great  moral 
system  —  one  of  her  own  chosen  methods  of  instruction, 
and  beyond  all  doubt,  characteristic  of  the  whole  circle  of 
God's  providence  in  relation  to  man  ;  and  the  stupidity,  it 
occurs  to  us,  which  does  not  perceive  it,  must  be  worse 
than  assinine.  The  whole  difficulty  then,  is  reduced  within 
a  very  limited  range.  It  is  strictly  confined,  not  merely  to 
the  Christian  revelation,  as  such,  but  the  inquiry  is  further 
simplified  by  an  analysis  of  the  premises,  so  tliat  our  only 
concern  is  with  the  medium  through  which  this  communi- 
cation has  reached  us,  and  tlie  proper  authentication  of  its 
claims,  as  a  revelation  from  Heaven. 

In  conclusion,  had  the  knowledge  derived  from. the  Chris- 
tian revelation,  reached  us  through  some  other  medium, 
natural  and  ordinary,  in  all  respects,  as  we  have  seen  it  to 
be  in  many,  and  these  most  material,  what  would  have 
been  the  probable  effect  ?  As  regards  opinion  and  theory, 
would  there  have  been  an  infidel  on  earth?  Is  it  not  most 
probable  the  subject  would  have  taken  its  rank  among,  and 
been  studied  and  applied,  side  by  side,  with  the  sciences 
and  researches  constituting  the  common  sum  of  human 
knowledge  ?  This,  at  least,  would  have  been  the  case,  so 
far  as  its  truth  and  certainty  are  concerned,  without  refer- 
ence to  its  influence  as  a  system  of  ethics.  And  as  the 
subject  is  now  presented,  it  remains  for  us  to  inquire,  with 
what  reason  —  with  what  claim  to  philosophical  consis- 
tency, infidelity  rejects  information,  merely  because  of  a 
quarrel  with  the  means  of  its  communication,  Avhich,  had 
it  reached  us  through  a  different  channel,  would  have  been 
received  as  veritable,  whether  acted  upon  consistently  or 
not?  Subjected,  therefore,  to  the  test  of  philosophy  and 
the  findings  of  experience,  revelation,  so  far  from  losing 


CHKISTIANITT  AND  INFIDELITY.  89 

any  thing,  is  daily  receiving  the  light  and  ilhistration  of  a 
constantly  increasing  confirmation;  and  is  rapidly  becoming 
the  great  text-book  of  human  study  and  interest,  side  by 
side,  with  the  great  volumes  of  nature  and  providence  ! 

Deep,  enduring,  and  re-produced  in  every  age,  is  the 
conviction  tliat  man's  interest,  in  the  distant  and  invisible, 
is  of  more  importance  than  the  relations  and  engrossments 
of  the  present  life  ;  and  that  the  intellectual  universe,  with 
its  interests  and  destinies,  is,  in  the  scale  of  relative  conse- 
quence, infinitely  superior  to  the  universe  of  space  and 
matter,  with  which  he  is  more  immediately  conversant. 
Were  the  universe  of  mind  laid  open  to  our  view,  assured 
as  we  are  by  consciousness,  that  of  this  universe  we  are 
individual,  integral  parts, —  could  we  survey  by  a  glance, 
the  boundless  drama  of  its  fortunes  and  destinies, —  could 
we  witness  the  intellectual  achievements,  and  moral  mani- 
festations,—  the  stupendous  purposes  and  issues  of  thought 
and  emotion,  from  the  infinite  mind  of  the  Almighty  Creator 
of  all,  down  to  the  least  exalted  order  of  intelligence  in  the 
vast  family  of  worlds,  (known  to  science  and  rendered 
probable  by  its  conjectures,)  what  Avould  be  our  estimate 
of  the  immensity  of  matter  and  the  wonders  of  its  combina- 
tions ?  We  know  by  consciousness,  and  all  argumentation 
is  superseded  by  intuition,  that  mind  is  every  way  superior 
in  the  scale  of  existence,  and  incomparably  more  excellent 
than  matter,  whatever  may  be  its  laws  or  collocations. 
And  the  presumption  of  science,  even  when  it  does  not 
symbolize  with  Christianity  at  all,  is,  that  this  higher  order 
of  existence  —  the  great  intellectual  system,  is  essentially 
co-existent  and  commensurate  with  the  material,  every- 
where spread  out  upon  its  vast  platform,  and  occupying  it 
as  the  theater  of  action  and  display ;  and  the  magnificence 
of  the  physical,  is  overborne  by  the  superior  grandeur  of 
the  moral  !  Science,  apart  from  Christianity,  seems  to 
VOL.   II  — 8. 


90  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

have  settled  the  question,  with  high  philosophical  certainty, 
that  the  whole  material  frame-work  of  nature,  is  hut  the 
unintelligent  means  —  the  inert  instrumentality  intended  to 
subserve  other  ends  and  higher  purposes.  And  these  ends 
and  purposes  must  be  intrinsically  superior  to  the  means 
employed  to  accomplish  them.  The  ultimate  purpose  of 
the  existence  of  matter,  must  transcend  immeasurably,  in 
grandeur,  and  consequence,  the  instrumentality  intended 
merely  to  aid  in  the  effectuation  of  that  purpose.  The 
material  universe,  with  all  its  countless  globes,  solid  and 
luminous,  and  their  varied  and  gorgeous  furniture,  is 
found  to  dwindle  and  disappear,  when  viewed  in  contrast 
with  the  intrinsic  dignity — the  imperishable  grandeur  of 
mind. 

But  further  still,  take  the  intellectual  and  moral  consti- 
tution of  man,  and  you  find  him  indissolubly  connected 
with  the  great  moral  system,  outspread  upon  the  surface 
of  the  material, —  a  member  of  the  stupendous  assemblage 
of  intelligences  constituting  the  empire  of  mind  —  the 
universe  of  thought  and  emotion,  action  and  achievement ! 
Such  is  the  postulatum  furnished  by  science,  and  the  moral, 
philosophical  inference  is,  that  mere  existence,  even  in  such 
a  system,  and  necessary  relation  to  it,  to  the  whole  and  all 
its  parts,  gives  to  man  a  consequence  which  authorizes  the 
presumption,  that  to  enable  him  to  accomplisli  the  destiny 
indicated,  other  light  and  succor,  and  higher  and  more 
effective  evidence  than  those  furnished  by  nature  and  provi- 
dence, are  indispensable ;  and  hence,  another  argument  for 
the  heavenly  origin  of  the  Christian  revelation.  Would 
Almighty  Goodness  so  distinguish  man,  and  yet  leave  him 
in  the  dark,  in  relation  to  all  that  most  interests  him? 

But  it  has  been  objected  to  Christianity,  that  there  is 
about  it,  viewed  as  a  revelation  of  the  will  of  God,  too 
much  reserve  and  limitation  ;  first,  as  it  regards  the  subjects 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  91 

ostensibly  disposed  of  in  the  system ;  secondly,  others  not 
introduced  at  all.  The  infidel  assumes,  that  a  revelatiou 
from  God  should  be  more  explicit  and  detailed  in  its  dis- 
closures, than  Christianity  is  found  to  be,  and  that  many 
questions  of  alleged  interest  and  importance  are  omitted 
entirely,  which  should  have  been  introduced,  and  deter- 
mined at  length;  and  it  is  further  assumed,  that  the  style 
and  manner  of  Christianity,  in  addressing  man,  are  not 
sufficiently  striking, —  are  too  ordinary  —  too  perfectly 
human  to  arrest  attention  and  secure  the  notice  challenged. 
In  reply,  it  might  be  stated,  and  the  statement,  at  least, 
neutralizes  the  force  of  the  objection,  that  what  is  com- 
plained of  here,  as  a  defect  in  Christianity,  is  equally  true 
as  it  regards  natural  theology,  and  to  a  much  greater 
extent;  and  will  be  found,  moreover,  to  affect  seriously 
the  pretensions  of  all  science  ;  for  it  is  undeniably  true  of 
both,  that  the  same  want  of  universality,  and  minuteness 
of  detail,  attaches  to  the  one  and  the  other.  Whatever 
there  may  be  of  truth  in  this  charge  of  reserve  and  limita- 
tion, in  the  instance  of  Christianity,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
to  prove  that  it  arises  out  of  the  inevitable  necessity  of  the 
case,  as  found  in  the  constitution  of  the  world,  and  the 
nature  of  man.  To  these,  we  have  elsewhere  asked  your 
attention  at  length,  and  shall  not  dwell  upon  them  here. 

It  is  as  true  of  universal  nature,  in  science  as  in  revela- 
tion, that  it  is  a  unit  —  a  whole;  and  of  course,  it  is  made 
up,  and  consists  of  parts,  and  all  these  paits  essentially 
related.  To  the  scientific  student  of  nature,  we  need  only 
name,  in  proof  of  this,  the  law  of  universal  gravitation, 
binding  world  to  world — the  laws  and  phenomena  of  light, 
pervadingly  affecting  all  worlds,  and  the  theory  and  trajec- 
tion  of  comets,  traversing  illimitable  space,  as  if  bearing 
despatches  from  one  to  another  !  These,  and  other  facts 
of  kindred  bearing,  prove  incontestably,  that  globe  is  allied 


92  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

to  globe,  and  system  to  system,  throughout  immensity,  as 
known  to  us.  And  yet  it  is  well  known  that  however  well 
we  may  understand  the  history  and  philosophy  of  our  ovm 
planet,  we  know  nothing  of  its  connection  with  other 
worlds,  beyond  the  mere  fact  that  such  connection  is  too 
evident  to  doubt,  although  impossible  to  be  understood 
with  man's  present  means  of  information.  That  is  to  saj'^, 
we  "know  in  part"  only;  and  in  this  way,  we  know  a 
thousand  things  we  are  utterly  unable  to  account  for. 

Turn  now  to  the  universe  of  intelligent  beings, —  the 
various  worlds,  and  orders  of  intelligent  agents,  so  fre- 
quently, although  only  allusively  introduced  in  the  Christian 
revelation.  Is  not  the  argument  irresistibly  forcible  from 
analogy,  that  all  these  various  intellectual  tribes  and  orders 
are  related  and  connected  ?  And  if  Heaven,  by  means  of 
Christianity,  should  allow  us  to  know  this  fact  —  (that  they 
are  so  related)  —  and  at  the  same  time  withhold  other  than 
general  information,  what  right  have  we  to  complain  ? 
We  know  no  more  in  the  instance  of  the  physical.  In 
what  does  it  really  concern  us  to  know  more  than  we  do  ? 
Would  not  such  knowledge,  in  relation  to  other  provinces 
of  the  vast  dominions  of  the  Creator,  have  called  off  atten- 
tion from  the  interests  of  earth,  and  the  destinies  awaiting 
us  here  ?  As  it  is,  are  not  our  dreamers  about  other 
worlds,  —  our  ambitious  explorers  and  topographers  of 
other  distant  provinces  of  God's  creation,  very  apt  to 
indulge  dissatisfaction,  and  be  guilty  of  trifling  with  their 
own  ?  Is  God  under  any  obligation  to  lift  or  rend  the  veil 
which  hides  his  universal  kingdom  from  the  gaze  of  earth? 
If  so,  let  the  impatient  demand  of  infidelity,  which,  it 
would  seem,  must  know  all,  or  receive  none,  extend  in  the 
same  way  to  nature ;  and  if  the  infidel  would  be  consistent, 
it  must  be  so  extended.  Let  the  reserve  so  legibly  inscribed 
upon  the  face  of  the  heavens  be  torn  away  !     Let  earth, 


CHRISTIANITV  AND  INFIDELITY.  93 

whose  bosom  everywhere  imposes  the  same  law  of  limita- 
tion, open  to  our  objectors,  and  silence  them,  by  giving 
them  a  highway  at  once  to  her  center  !  And  if  not,  why 
then,  demolish  your  planetarium,  and  give  the  discoveries 
of  Newton  and  the  demonstrations  of  La  Place  to  the 
"moles  and  the  bats;"  for  why,  according  to  the  infidel 
logic,  receive  anything  as  true,  unless  you  can  know  all ! 
We  deem  this  reasoning  valid,  inasmuch  as  all  reasonintj 
must  be  based  upon  pre-existing  data,  which  data  must  be 
sought  in  man,  or  the  constitution  of  nature  about  him, 
and  any  objection  to  Christianity,  the  basis  or  prototype  of 
which,  cannot  be  found  in  nature,  is  absurd,  because 
unnatural.  It  is  unphilosophical ;  for  it  is  attempted  to 
reach  a  result  which  cannot  be  traced  to,  or  derived  from 
any  known  fact  or  principle,  and  can  only  be  regarded, 
therefore,  as  an  abortion  of  ignorance  or  presumption,  or 
it  may  be  both  ! 

We  remai'k  further, —  the  information  and  evidences  of 
Christianity,  are  ample  and  irrefragable,  and  the  sufficiency 
and  demonstrativeness,  we  assume,  relate  both  to  quantum 
and  kind.  But  to  estimate  them  properly,  and  feel  their 
force,  it  is  necessary  that  they  be  duly  attended  to  ;  for 
although  fixed  and  unambiguous,  the  doctrines  and  evi- 
dences of  revelation  are  not  obtruded  or  forced  upon  the 
consideration  or  acceptance  of  man.  As  the  principles 
and  ethics  of  natural  theology  may  be  neglected,  con- 
temned, and  cast  aside,  by  the  careless,  the  indifferent,  and 
the  vicious,  as  millions  are  in  the  habit  of  doing,  the  world 
over,  notwithstanding  their  certainty  and  reasonableness, 
as  well  as  great  moral  force,  when  carefully  and  consider- 
ately appealed  to ;  so,  under  the  influence  of  inattention, 
dissipation,  and  folly,  but  especially,  the  more  hopeless 
forms  of  vice,  profligacy,  and  determined  sin, —  piety  — 
the  Christian  religion  may  share  the  fate  of  the  religion  of 


94  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

nature, —  be  neglected,  overlooked — the  homage  and  atten- 
tion it  requires  indefinitely  postponed.  Or  it,  may  be  treated 
with  scorn  and  mockery,  obloquy  and  contempt.  Mean- 
while, however,  it  is  true,  in  the  creed  of  the  one,  that 
"  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,"  and  in  the  other, 
that  "life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light  by  the 
Gospel."  Had  the  proofs  of  revelation  been  so  strangely 
and  stupendously  imposing — so  marked  with  force  and 
violence  of  motive,  as  to  compel  attention  and  submission, 
on  the  part  of  mankind,  the  arrangement,  all  must  see, 
would  have  precluded  both  trial  and  virtue.  The  one 
woidd  have  existed  but  in  name,  and  the  other  been  no 
more  rewardable  than  is  the  passive  thirst  of  the  desert  as 
it  drinks  in  the  descending  shower  1  This  would  have 
been,  to  set  one  part  of  the  Divii>e  economy  in  direct  antag- 
onist relation  to  another  ;  and  the  discrepancy  would  have 
been  so  obvious  and  tangible,  as  to  render  belief  in  the 
system  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible.  The  tendency 
would  have  been  to  defeat  all  the  great  objective  aims  of 
revelation  ;  and  hence,  instead  of  this,  Christianity  reaches 
us  with  as  little  of  the  extraordinary,  and  as  few  unearthly 
and  trans-human  accompaniments  as  was  consistent  with  a 
clear  and  conclusive  authentication  of  the  Divine  original 
of  the  system. 

But  let  us  select  another  point, —  a  different  turret  of 
observation,  from  which  to  bring  the  same  scrutiny  to  bear 
upon  this  subject.  If  Christianity  have  a  native,  indispu- 
table tendency  to  develop,  and  bring  out  into  perfection  and 
action  the  intellectual  and  moral  powers  of  our  nature, 
beyond  that  of  natural  theology,  literature,  or  science,  it 
must  afford  strong  presumptive  proof,  that  the  Author  of 
our  nature  is  the  Author  of  Christianity.  In  this  way,  we 
can  explain  the  whole  field  of  facts  and  relations  on  the 
part  of  revelation,  and  yet  remain  on  strictly  philosophical 


CHRISTIANITY   A\»   INFIDELMT.  95 

ground  —  the  boasted  terra  firma  of  infidelity.  It  would 
not  be  difficult  to  prove  that  owin<^  to  the  essential  oneness, 
—  the  absolute  unity  of  the  human  mind,  the  intellectual 
and  moral  powers,  in  the  progress  of  enlarged  development, 
are  mure  or  less  deranged  and  depressed,  unless  trained  and 
cultivated  in  unison.  It  is  true,  virtue  may  consist  with 
great  ignorance,  and  there  may  be  high  mental  culture  in 
union  with  great  depravity,  but  the  alliance  is  unnatural, 
and  involves  intellectual  hazard,  not  less  than  moral  danger. 
What  real  success,  in  any  department  of  intellectual  achieve- 
ment, can  there  be,  where  mind  proves  faithless  to  virtue, 
and  betrays  the  heart?  There  may  be  ability  and  achieve- 
ment distinguishing  such  minds,  we  know,  but  when  it  is 
recollected,  how  much  more  decided  and  comprehensive 
these  might  have  been,  allied  with  the  pure  and  elevated 
sentiments  inspired  by  the  proper  cultivation  and  direction 
of  the  moral  powers,  we  are  obliged  to  feel  the  disparage- 
ment, as  a  humiliation  of  our  common  nature ;  and  by  how 
far  they  have  failed  to  be  just  to  themselves  and  true  to 
others,  by  the  neglect  and  abuse  of  their  moral  powers,  by 
so  much  they  have  subtracted  from  the  general  happiness  ; 
and  they  rank  among  the  enemies  of  a  virtuous  universe, 
to  the  precise  extent  they  have  thus  contravened  the  pur- 
poses of  their  being.  Very  mistaken  notions  are  alioat  and 
common,  even  in  the  philosophical  world,  as  it  respects 
success  in  intellectual  progress  and  distinction.  There  is 
no  real  success  in  such  progress,  without  a  harmonious 
development  of  all  the  powers  of  mind.  And  as  the  moral 
powers  are  the  ultimate  principles  of  our  nature,  the  neglect 
of  these  is  even  more  hurtful,  than  the  neo-lect  or  misdi- 
rection  of  the  mental.  All  must  be  balanced,  and  move 
and  play  in  ec^uilibrium  or  the  mind  can  never  preserve  its 
proper  energy,  or  perform  its  just  functions ;  and  this 
equilibrium  can  never  be  maintained,  except  by  the  subor- 


96  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

dination  of  the  mental,  to  tlie  monil  part  of  our  nature. 
Would  you  trace  the  lightning  of  intellect  home  to  its  cloud, 
you  must  study  well  the  moral  nature  of  man  ! 

Intellect  is  always  without  anything  like  effective  power, 
unless  characterized  by  order  and  calmness  ;  and  where 
the  moral  system  is  deranged,  and  the  passions  in  a  state  of 
misrule  and  vicious  propensity,  the  mental  powers  become 
the  criminal  instrumentality  by  which  the  objects  of  ambi- 
tion and  selfishness,  and  often  profligacy  and  crime,  are 
sought  to  be  accomplished.  We  all  know  that  the  moral 
feelings  convey  a  secret,  yet  controlling  influence  to  the 
more  intellectual  powers  of  mind  ;  and  hence,  it  is  indis- 
pensable, that  they  be  subjected  to  proper  discipline. 
Proper  action  is  the  end  of  man,  not  aimless  thought ;  and 
hence  the  reasoning  we  have  urged.  The  question  arises, 
however,  in  what  way  is  this  to  be  eftected  ?  Shall  man 
rely  upon  himself  absolutely,  or  appeal  to  higher,  extrinsic 
aids,  confessedly  within  his  reach  ?  And  allowing,  as  all 
must,  that  such  appeal  is  essential,  an  additional  question 
intrudes  ;  —  to  what  code  of  moral  legislation  —  to  what 
salutary  regimen,  shall  man  turn,  with  a  view  to  the  self- 
government  and  moral  training  so  necessary,  even  to  his 
intellectual  dignity  and  success  ?  It  occurs  to  us,  the 
question  may  be  settled  fairly  by  an  appeal  to  fact.  Take 
those  countries  and  ages,  where  and  during  which,  the  influ- 
ence of  the  theology  of  nature  alone  has  been  felt,  and 
compare  them  with  those  under  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tianity principally,  and  then  decide  upon  the  intellectual 
character  of  each  class.  On  which  side  the  line  we  have 
drawn  will  you  find  the  greater  grandeur  and  magnificence 
of  mind  !  In  which  of  these  moral  hemispheres  do  you 
meet  with  the  most  stupendous  aggregate  of  intellectual 
production  and  moral  achievement  ?  What  is  your  answer  ? 
We  need  not  wait  for  it  —  a  witness  of  your  own  has  fur- 


CIIRISTIANITy  AND  INFIDELITY.  97 

nisbed  it.  Infidelity  decided  the  question  in  our  favor, 
some  fourteen  centuries  ago.  So  thoroughly  convinced  was 
the  learned  and  acute,  yet  infidel  Julian,  of  the  direct  ten- 
dency of  the  Christian  religion  to  increase  the  moral  power, 
and  thus  elevate  the  intellectual  character  of  mind,  that 
from  the  throne  of  the  Csesars  he  attempted  to  legislate 
Christianity  into  utter  ignorance,  by  denying  education  to 
the  Christian  part  of  bis  empire,  and  thus  accomplish  what 
he  believed,  could  be  accomplished  in  no  other  way  !  And 
other  examples,  numerous  and  pertinent,  are  to  the  same 
effect. 

The  moment  chosen  for  giving  Christianity  to  the  world 
is  proof,  that  it  is  in  close  and  intimate  alliance  with  the 
biglier  powers  of  our  nature,  and  seeks  and  secures  its 
own  advancement,  by  means  of  such  alliance.  At  the  time 
selected,  learning  and  civilization  were  at  a  higher  point  t)f 
progressive  perfection,  than  at  any  former  period  in  the 
history  of  the  world ;  and  were  also  much  more  widely 
diffused  and  generally  deferred  to  ;  and  does  not  this 
demonstrate  the  design  of  Heaven,  that  there  should  be  an 
essential  coalescence  of  the  higher  principles  of  the  one 
and  the  other  ?  And  this  coalescence  is  even  now  takina" 
place,  not,  it  is  true,  with  glaring  publicity,  by  shock  and 
convulsion,  but  by  silent,  unnoticed  agencies,  impercepti- 
bly, yet  certainly  ;and  bids  fair,  at  no  very  remote  period, 
to  accredit  the  great  moral  inference,  that  Christianity  is  in 
strict  alliance  with  all  that  is  profound  in  science,  or  exalted 
in  intellect !  A  knowledge  of  natural  theology  furnishes 
with  an  inference,  from  the  principle  of  analogy,  which 
connects  the  discipline  and  trial  of  the  present  life,  with  a 
state  of  things  in  the  future  essentially  corresponding  — 
substantially  analogous  in  its  higher  elements,  concerning 
Avhich,  however,  we  have  no  satisfiictory  infurnuition  from 
nature,  and  must,  therefore,  impugn  the  wisdom  of  her 

VOL.    II — 9. 


98  KELATIVE  CLAIMS  OP 

arrangements,  or  seek  the  solution  elsewhere.  Infidelity 
adopts  the  former,  Christianity  the  latter  hypothesis.  If 
we  admit,  as  we  are  compelled  to  do,  the  inference  from 
analogy,  and  have  no  higher  calculus  by  whicli  to  deter- 
mine their  bearing,  we  are  sixbjected  to  an  incertitude,  at 
once  painful  and  perplexing.  Can  it  be  believed,  that  the 
God  of  wisdom  and  goodness  would  appoint  for  man  in  this 
life,  a  rigorous  state,  or  process  rather,  of  discipline  and 
training,  unrelaxed  in  its  exactions,  until  tlie  hour  of  bis 
death,  and  yet  no  ultimate  end  to  propose, —  no  after-state 
of  consciousness  and  action  to  succeed,  as  the  object  of  its 
appointment  ?  If  so,  the  analogies  of  nature,  and  the  uni- 
versal scheme  of  tilings,  as  known  to  man,  are  insignificant 
and  unworthy  of  confidence  ;  and  the  God  of  eternity,  so 
far  as  we  can  see,  is  found  trifling  with  the  children  of 
time  ;  for  in  every  age  lie  has  hung  the  golden  clouds  of 
another  life,  bigh  and  glowing,  about  the  setting  sun  of 
this  !  Is  it  possible  to  conceive,  that  there  is  no  instituted 
correspondence  between  the  means  and  the  ends  of  this, 
and  another  life  ?  When  nothing  else  is  left,  must  the  dia- 
mond cressets  of  hope  and  joy  connected  witb  the  future, 
be  torn  from  the  worn  and  wasted  cordage  of  the  heart, 
by  the  ruthless  hand  of  infidelity  ?  If  the  present  be  not 
an  education  for  the  future,  why  at  infinite  cost, —  at  the 
expense  of  unremitting  trial  and  endeavor,  sympathy  and 
succor,  are  we  trained  to  lessons  and  habits  of  patient  efibrt 
and  high  exertion, —  of  order  and  discipline  —  of  constancy 
and  self-denial  —  of  high  moral  daring  and  unblenching 
courage  ?  Why  are  the  elements  and  energies  of  our  being 
taxed  by  a  state  —  a  constitution  of  things,  confessedly  of 
God's  own  appointment,  to  the  utmost  it  is  possible  to  bear 
or  to  do  ?  Does  not  all  analogy  demand,  that  these  moral 
qualities  and  habits  be  brought  into  further  exercise,  and 
much  more  fully  and  intensely,  in  another  state  of  being? 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITT.  99 

We  do  not  mean  to  say,  that  the  same  objects  which  exer- 
cised these  high  and  strenuous  virtues  here,  will  exist  in 
the  futurity  destined  to  develop  them.  There  will  doubt- 
less be  a  substitution  of  different  scenes  and  theaters  of 
consciousness  and  action  ;  still,  no  change  is  implied  of 
these  moral  powers  ;  and  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  pupilage 
of  earth  and  time,  was  only  intended  to  commence  the 
development  and  formation  of  powers  and  habits  whose 
final  manifestation  can  only  be  realized  in  eternity  ! 

We  might  urge  you,  moreover,  to  bring  the  logic  of 
induction  to  bear  upon  this  subject,  in  another  particular. 
Christianity  exists.  —  It  is  before  you.  It  has  existed  in 
the  eye,  and  before  the  direct  notice  of  the  most  enlightened 
parts  and  portions  of  the  world  for  near  two  thousand 
years,  as  truly  and  undoubtedly  as  the  letters  of  Greece, 
or  the  empire  of  Rome.  We  know  the  time  of  its  intro- 
duction. We  know  the  place  of  its  birth  and  first  appearance. 
We  know  who  was  its  founder.  We  can  trace  the  lines  of 
its  first  propagation.  We  can  fix  upon  the  localities  of  its 
early  spread,  and  primitive  wonders.  We  know  the  cost  of 
natural  feeling — the  rending  of  societies — the  hardship,  the 
want  and  the  suffering, — the  persecution,  the  self-sacrifice, 
and  often  death,  inevitably  attendant  upon  its  profession. 
We  know  whence  it  suddenly  broke  forth,  like  live  waters, 
bounding  from  the  bosom  of  the  mountain  !  It  divero-es 
from  Jerusalem  in  a  thousand  directions  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  successor  of  the  imperial  Tiberius.  North, 
it  is  soon  heard  of  in  inaccessible  Scythia ;  South,  in 
central  Africa ;  East,  in  Parthia,  and  distant  India ;  and 
West,  in  barbarian  Spain,  and  the  British  Isles  !  All  this 
is  matter  of  liistory  ;  —  is  perfectly  notorious  throughout 
the  whole  commonwealth  of  well  informed  minds ;  and 
men  of  sense  have  long  since  ceased  to  dispute  it.  The 
fact  then  is  before  you,  and  we  ask  you  to  account  for  it. 


100  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

And  in  doing  so,  you  are  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  nature 
and  philosophy  of  the  result ;  its  character  and  tendency  ; 
and  rejecting  the  assumption  that  Christianity  is  a  revelation 
from  Heaven,  what  adequate  cause  can  you  assign,  as  the 
solution  of  a  problem  vy^ithout  parallel  in  the  history  of  the 
human  mind  ?     In  the  instance  of  paganism  in  general, 
and  Mahommedanism  in  particular,  usually  relied  upon  by 
infidelity,  as  analogous  cases,  there  is,  in  fact,  the  absence 
of  everything  like  analogy.     For  the  existence  and  preva- 
lence of  these  systems  of  religion,  the  history  and  philosophy 
of  the  times  furnish  us  with  causes,  materials  and  elements 
in  abundance,  naturally  and  almost  necessarily  leading  to 
the    results    appealed    to.      In   the   case    of    Christianity, 
however,  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind  to  be  urged;  —  no 
such  predisposing  causes  ;  no  materials  on  hand,  or  elements 
at  work  ;  and  the  infidel  and  the  Christian  are  alike  com- 
pelled to  look  upon  it  as  a  new  creation.    It  exists  noiv,  and 
never  did  before  ;   and  hence,  the  inevitable  conclusion. 
See  Christianity  springing  up,  and  gaining  upon  the  notice 
of  the  world,   in  Jerusalem,    Corinth,   Athens,   Ephesus, 
and   Rome!      Its   origin   at   first  scarcely   known,  —  the 
country  of  that  origin  proverbially  despised, —  denouncing 
the  whole  calendar  and  rabble  of  pagan  gods  in  the  very' 
centers   and   capitals  of  the   most   idolatrous   nations,  — 
proscribing  pleasure  in  the  midst  of  wealth,  pomp,  and 
luxury, —  urging  the  care  and  interests  of  the  soul  among 
tlwse  who  regarded  its  immortality  as  a  fable,  —  inculcating 
the  fear  and  worship  of  God  where  his  very  existence  was 
unknown  or  denied,  —  original,  austere,  and  exacting  in 
the  reprobation  of  sin,  —  explicit  and  uncompromising  in 
demanding  purity  of  heart  and  self-denial  of  life,  and  this, 
amid  unbounded  licentiousness  and  crime,  —  what  were  its 
chances,  upon  any  hypothesis  involving  only  human  agency, 
to  become  the  religion  of  the  civilized  world  !     Who  could 


CHRISTIA'NITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  101 

have  supposed,  that  under  such  circumstances  of  discour- 
agement, that  notwithstanding  the  paucity  of  her  means, 
and  the  poverty  of  her  friends, —  the  resistance  of  civiliza- 
tion and  tlie  liostihty  of  barbarism,  —  with  persecution's 
ban-dogs  loud  and  lean  everywhere  howling  over  the  wreck 
of  her  lirsL  altars  and  early  homes,  she  would,  in  less  than 
three  centuries,  see  the  land  of  the  pyramids  and  the  realm 
of  the  Caesars  bow,  and  subverting  the  giant  might  of  the 
imperial  Palatine,  give  her  banner  to  the  breeze  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  capital  of  nations  !  And  this  general  inference 
is  confirmed  further  by  the  fact,  that  Christianity  as  a 
system,  was  as  perfect  —  as  every  Avay  complete,  at  first  as 
it  is  noAv.  It  was  not  gradually  produced.  It  is  not,  in 
any  sense,  a  growth.  It  exhibited  all  its  perfections  —  its 
absolute  entireness  at  once,  without  anytliing  like  pro- 
gressive elaboration.  No  formative,  perfecting  process 
was  appealed  to.  Original,  singular,  and  apart,  it  met 
Avith  no  countenance  or  support  from  the  age  in  which  it 
appeared.  It  superseded  the  systems,  by  reversing  the 
decisions  of  antiquity  ;  and  stood  alone  in  uncompounded 
oneness  and  wholeness,  in  the  isolated,  unborrowed  grandeur 
of  its  own  nature  and  pretensions  ! 


LECTURE    V. 

Resuming  the  theme  of  the  preceding  lecture,  we  proceed 
to  remark,  that  if  Christianity  be  true,  the  reason  and  good 
sense  of  mankind  require  that  there  should  be  exhibited, 
a  perfect  agreement  between  the  code  and  contents  of 
revelation,  and  the  history  and  experience  of  mankind,  in 
all  time  subsequent  to  its  first  publication.  Tliat  is,  the 
latter  must  be  expected  to  afford  verification  of  what  the 
former  assumed,  with  regard  to  the  real  state  and  con- 
dition of  the  hiiman  family.  To  limit  the  inquiry,  —  take 
the  five  historical  books  of  the  New  Testament.  One 
of  the  first  lessons  taught  by  their  examination  is,  that 
Christianity  places  man,  when  subjected  to  the  influence 
of  the  gospel,  in  an  essentially  new  relation  —  an  entirely 
novel  position,  with  regard  to  other  men  ;  and  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  new  and  separate  relations  of  the 
disciples  of  Christianity, —  the  novelty  and  originality  of 
their  position  with  reference  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  they 
should  be  subjected  in  all  time  to  come,  to  the  ill  nature, 
distrust,  and  persecution  of  the  world,  as  distinguished 
from  them.  And  this,  not  because  they  belonged  to  a 
sect,  a  party,  or  a  school,  but  irrespective  of  all,  for 
righteousness'  sake.  —  Because  of  the  high,  unworldly 
bearing,  the  integrity  and  purity  of  their  lives  and  conduct. 

The    position   of   the    first    Christians   was   every  way 

insular  and  untried ;  and  the  predeclared  result  is,  that  it 

will  provoke  the  hostility  of  the  world.     And  what  is  the 

evidence  of  history  on  this  subject,  from  the  early  notices 

of  Tacitus,  Suetonius,  and  Pliny,  down  to  our  own  times  ? 

102 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELITY.  103 

Is  the  prescience  of  Christianity,  in  any  way,  falsified ; 
or  has  tlie  announcement  been  sustained  by  the  experience 
of  a  succession  of  ages  ?  The  time  has  been  ample.  The 
means  of  information  infinite.  Eighteen  centuries  have 
intervened.  Fifty  generations  of  skeptics  and  philosophical 
and  vuljTfar  scoffers  have  rolled  throusrh  the  orbit  of  doubt 
and  unbelief,  like  herculanean  rakers  gleaning  exceptions 
from  every  section  and  segment  of  the  whole  circuit  of 
objection  and  cavil,  and  what  is  the  result  ?  What  do 
the  findings  of  infidelity  amount  to,  against  the  claims  of 
Christianity  ? 

Again,  it  was  assumed,  that  from  inconsiderable  — 
almost  imperceptible  beginnings,  Christianity  should  spread 
and  prevail,  to  an  extent  without  any  parallel  in  the  anterior 
history  of  the  world.  Thus,  inconsiderable  and  unobtrusive 
at  first,  it  was  silentl}'',  but  securely,  to  operate  its  functions, 
diflfusing  everywhere  its  renovating  views  of  God  and  man, 
until  it  should  mould  and  color  the  eras  of  time,  and  the 
character  and  fortunes  of  nations,  and  finally,  control  for 
good  or  evil,  the  destinies  of  the  world,  in  view  of  her 
reception  or  rejection.  All  this  was  original  —  was  new, 
and  not  to  be  expected.  The  Jewish  religion  had  existed 
fifteen  centuries  without  spreading.  The  religions  of 
Persia,  Greece,  and  Italy,  had  continued  for  ages  without 
change  or  progress.  All  was  calm  and  quietude.  The 
elements  of  the  religion  of  paganism  appeared  to  be 
settled,  its  diflferent  systems  adjusted,  and  the  opniions  of 
philosophy,  and  the  dreams  of  poetry  and  sentiment  and 
affection,  on  the  part  of  confiding  millions,  were  rapidly 
crystalizing  about  them.  Religious  inquiry  and  earnestness 
were  unknown  throughout  the  world ;  —  all  had  to  bo 
awakened  and  excited  ;  and  yet,  amid  this  dead  calm  — 
this  universal  stagnation  of  moral  sentiment  and  reliirious 
feeling,  Christianity  announced  her  purpose  of  proselyting 


104  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

the  world.  Tlie  very  conception,  is  proof  of  the  Divinity 
of  the  mind  in  which  it  orii>inated  !  It  was  hke  the 
sceptered  blazonry  of  Heaven,  in  the  vision  of  the  young 
patriarch,  bowing  to  a  reaper's  sheaf ! 

But  we  ask  you  to  advert  once  more  to  the  contradic- 
tion, at  least  in  common  deeming,  between  the  precepts 
enforced,  and  the  conduct  foretold,  by  Christianity.  What, 
short  of  omniscient  discernment,  could  have  predicted  the 
result  ?  And  we  would  ask  you,  also,  to  re-advert  to  the 
evidence  of  history,  in  relation  to  the  promised  diffusion 
and  triumphs  of  Christianity,  and  decide  for  yourselves. 
We  will  not  trace  her  progress.  We  make  no  attempt  to 
map  out  her  spread  —  to  number  her  myriad  temples,  or 
count  the  homes  of  her  missions  !  We  have,  however,  no 
fears  of  the  result.  Look  at  her  when  she  commenced  only 
with  the  fishermen  of  Galilee,  and  in  a  provincial  dialect 
of  Palestine, —  confined  to  a  depressed  and  enslaved  popu- 
lation of  not  more  than  a  million  and  a  half !  And  look 
at  her  noiv,  issuing  her  mandates  to  the  (900,000,000) 
nine  hundred  millions  of  our  world,  in  two  hundred  lan- 
guages of  the  babbling  and  lettered  earth !  Has  infidelity 
no  misgiving?  If  not,  it  will  be  a  deadly  conflict;  for 
rely  upon  it,  Christianity  has  none  ! 

But  to  return  —  Those  conversant  with  the  philosophy  of 
analogy,  or  capable  of  examining  related  subjects  analogi- 
cally, duly  comparing  and  estimating  analogous  elements 
and  resembling  features,  may  institute  an  inquiry,  a  priori, 
based  upon  first  principles  as  found  in  Christianity,  assum- 
ing that  if  these  be  true,  corresponding  principles  will  bo 
met  with  in  natural  theology,  to  give  them  sanction  and 
verification ;  and  hence,  deduce  an  additional  argument  for 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  revelation.  A  few  examples, 
miscellaneously  selected,  will  explain  our  meaning,  as  well 
as  a  more  scientific  arrangement.     Whether  we  believe  or 


CHRISTIANITV  AND    INFIDELITY.  106 

reject  Christianity,  we  are  obliged  to  look  upon  it  as  a 
regular  whole;  —  the  progressive  development  of  a  well- 
defined  plan.     Its  ditterent  parts  are  so  truly  consecutive — 
so  admirably  concatenated,  that  we  are  compelled  to  con- 
ceive of  it  as  the  offspring  of  an  exclusive  individual  master 
intelligence.      Its  perfect  individuated  unity  of  character 
forbids  any  other  supposition.     The  force  of  the  separate 
argument  we  are  about  to  introduce  here,  will  require  but 
little  elaboration.     A  few  examples  will  show  what  the 
effect  would  be,  were  the  examination  carried  out  in  exienso. 
Take  any  production  of  antiquity  —  say  a  book  or  history, 
and  the  illustration  and  support  of  any  one  part  of  it,  by 
other  incidental  evidence,  tends,  even  beyond  the  abstract 
weio'ht  of  the  accessory  evidence,  to  the  authentication  of 
the  whole.     But  assume  that  evidences  of  this  kind  are 
multiplied,  from  time  to  time,  and  derived  from  different, 
and  unexpected  sources,  for  a  succession  of  ages,  and  these 
attestations  to  the  truth  of  the  whole,  become  at  once  con- 
vincing and  irresistible.      And  this  is  precisely  the  state 
of  the  case  as  it  regards  Christianity,  and  the  support  it  is 
continually  receiving  from  the  different  provinces  of  natural 
theology,  and  from  other  sources,  of  which  natural  theology 
is  competent  to  judge  and  d<'termine.     In  this  way,  the 
absolute  strength  of  the  Christian  argument  is  indefinitely 
augmented,  by  collateral  and  concurrent  evidence,  derived 
from  innumerable,  unrelated  facts,  scattered  over  the  fields 
of  nature  and  the  tracts  of  observation. 

It  is  characteristic  of  Christianity,  that  while  it  furnishes 
evidence,  every  way  competent  and  adapted  to  impress  its 
truths  and  conclusions  upon  the  human  mind,  it  abstains 
from  anything  like  coercive  control,  or  overwhelming  influ- 
ence. Its  disclosures  and  deductions,  however  convincing, 
leave  man  a  moral  agent,  as  befoj'e,  with  his  power  of  self- 
determination,  unfettered  and  entire.     And  this  seems  to 


106  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OP 

be  but  tlie  archetype  of  an  arrangement  in  natural  theology, 
to  tlie  same  effect.  The  evidences  and  principles  of  natural 
religion,  are  presented  in  a  way  to  secure  a  proper  under- 
standing a!id  just  appreciation  of  their  nature  and  value; 
but  in  order  to  this,  candid  attention,  and  patient  investi- 
gation, are  required.  The  discovery  of  truth  and  the 
encouragement  of  virtue,  reward  the  candid  and  consider- 
ate, while  the  idle  and  vicious  are  abandoned  to  the  folly 
and  presumption  of  their  course. 

Again,  revelation  furnishes  as  much  information,  in 
relation  to  the  great  definite  object  of  its  bestowment,  as 
the  question  of  man's  earthly  or  immortal  welfare  requires ; 
but  it  does  not  go  beyond  —  it  does  not  aim — it  is  not 
intended  to  dissipate  all  obscurity,  or  gratify  unreasonable 
curiosity.  And  precisely  analogous  to  this,  are  the  reserve 
and  caution  of  natural  religion  ;  and  a  thousand  inexplica- 
bilities  of  the  latter  are  in  close  affinity  with  the  mysteries 
of  the  former. 

It  is  equally  true,  moreover,  that  every  science  under 
heaven  is  burdened  with  the  same  conditions.  We  know 
tliat  heat  and  moisture  promote  vegetation,  but  how,  or  by 
what  process  these  elements  adapt  themselves  to  the  suscep- 
tibility of  the  plant,  so  as  to  enlarge  and  expand  the  leaf, 
is  a  question,  in  reference  to  which,  our  ablest  phjj^siologists 
avow  utter  ignorance.  From  effects  and  phenomena,  we 
know  the  power  of  gravitation,  but  what  it  is  that  essen- 
iiallv  constitutes  attraction  of  (rravitation,  we  know  nothino- 
about.  It  is  as  absolutely  unknown  to  us  as  the  locality 
and  natural  history  of  the  heaven  or  hell  of  the  Bible. 

Further,  Christianity  is  explicit  and  peremptory  in 
refusing  anything  like  exemption  by  privilege,  from  the 
high  jurisdiction  she  extends  over  all.  Rank,  station, 
civic  distinction,  and  social  inequality,  are  all  merged,  and 
man,  as  a  subject  of  the  Divine  government,  together  with 


CHRISTIANITV   ANll    INFIDELITV.  107 

his  moral  relations  and  interests,  is  alone  consulted.  In 
like  manner,  the  reliu'ion  of  nature  extends  her  counsels  and 
warnings  to  the  palace  and  the  cottage,  the  prince  and  tlie 
subject ;  nor  are  the  privileges  of  dignity  on  the  one  hand, 
or  the  hardships  of  poverty  on  the  other,  any  valid  plea  for 
inattention  to  her  claims. 

Christianity,  as  all  know,  inculcates  the  renunciation  of 
present  indulgence,  and  the  exercise  of  patience,  fortitude, 
and  self-denial,  in  view  of  distant  and  final  recompense  ; 
and  nature  abounds  with  lessons,  that  to  obtain  objects  of 
first  importance,  even  of  merely  earthly  interest,  such  as 
wealth,  wisdom,  or  fame,  it  is  indispensable  to  forego  and 
suffer.  Each  inculcates  the  duty  of  self-sacrifice  as  the 
price  of  future  or  greater  good. 

Revelation  recognizes  the  existence  of  machinations  of 
evil,  invisible  spirits,  and  infernal  agency  ranks  among  the 
principal  causes  of  the  prevalence  of  impiety  and  irreli- 
gion,  and  ranks  foremost  also,  among  the  evils  and  enemies 
vanquished  and  overcome  in  the  triumph  of  the  faith  and 
virtue  of  Christianity.  Natural  theology,  it  is  true,  knows 
nothing  of  fallen  angels  —  nothing  of  the  malignity  and 
industry,  with  which  revelation  represents  them  as  em- 
barked upon  the  ruin  of  our  kind ;  but  natural  theology 
recognizes  the  same  great  moral  conflict  between  good  and 
evil,  and  is  as  conversant  as  Christianity,  with  vicious  and 
abandoned  men,  utterly  depraved,  and  hopelessly  profligate, 
who  devote  life,  with  all  its  means  and  appliances  to  the 
accomplishment  of  the  very  object  which  revelation  ascribes 
to  the  devil  and  his  angels;  —  that  is,  the  destruction  of 
human  happiness,  hope,  and  virtue,  by  beguiling  and 
enticing  those  within  the  circle  of  their  influence,  into 
the  practice  of  every  species  of  moral  debasement,  from 
the  first  timid  essay  of  vice  to  its  fiendisli  revelry  in 
crime.     Natural  theology,  therefore,  afibrds  the  full  force 


108  RELATIVE    CLAIMS  OF 

of  analogy  in  support  of  the  Christian  doctrine  upon  this 
subject. 

Moreovex",  according  to  revelation,  the  consummation  of 
God's  moral  government  in  relation  to  man,  connects  itself 
Avith  a  day  of  general  —  of  universal  judgment,  when  the 
virtuous  and  good  shall  be  rewarded,  and  confirmed  in  rec- 
titude and  happiness  forever;  and  the  finally  and  incurably 
vicious,  punished  in  view  of  their  deservings.  Now,  if  this 
be  true,  it  is  reasonable  to  expect,  that  in  the  administration 
of  nature,  and  the  laws  of  providence,  by  which  God 
governs  the  world,  and  regulates  the  course  of  human  and 
earthly  events,  there  will  be  found  a  state  of  things  suffi- 
ciently analogous,  to  furnish  man  with  plain  and  undoubted 
pre-intimations  to  this  effect.  And  what,  we  ask,  are  the 
consequences.  Heaven,  even  in  this  life,  has  severally 
annexed  to  vice  and  virtue, —  to  good  and  evil  conduct  ? 
There  is  not  a  precisely  proportioned  retribution  of  good 
and  evil,  we  know,  for  it  would  seem  tlie  purposes  of  moral 
discipline,  and  man's  earthly  probation  would  be  better 
subserved  by  a  different  arrangement,  leaving  the  existing 
inequalities  of  his  earthly  state  to  be  adjusted  by  future 
arbitrament,  in  the  closing  account  indicated  by  nature 
and  providence,  and  fully  disclosed  by  Christianity.  And 
accordingly,  God  has,  in  his  general  dealings  with  mankind, 
taught  them  most  conclusively,  that  virtue  tends  directly  — 
(being  vested  with  such  aptitude)  —  to  promote  the  happi- 
ness of  man,  and  that  vice  is  cursed  and  branded  with  an 
equally  indelible  tendency  to  render  man  worthless  and 
miserable. 

In  the  Christian  revelation,  it  is  distinctly  assumed,  that 
the  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  reputed  Son  of  God,  pro- 
visionally ransomed  man  from  the  punishment  due  to  sin, 
and  that  his  voluntary  sacrifice  of  himself  in  behalf  of  our 
guilty  nature,  exists  in  its  relations  and  bearings,  as  an 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITV.  109 

eventful  expedient  connected  with  the  principles  and  pro- 
visions of  the  Divine  government,  in  virtue  of  which  man 
may  be  received  into  favor  Avith  Heaven,  at  the  same 
time  that  the  tnitli  and  justice  of  God  receive  the  ful]ei?t 
vindication,  and  the  dignity  and  stability  of  the  Divine 
administration,  are  maintained  in  all  their  purity  and  per- 
fection. And  what  is  there  in  nature  analofrous  to  this  ? 
Turn  to  the  infancy,  the  childhood,  and  the  education  of 
man,  and  his  establishment  and  fortunes  in  more  advanced 
life.  What  has  been  the  medium  of  the  conveyance  of  the 
most  substantial  benefits  of  life  ?  Has  it  not  been  the 
agency  —  the  voluntary  interposition  of  another  ?  What 
security  or  success,  has  ever  distinguished  the  lot  of  man, 
for  which,  in  greater  or  less  degree,  he  was  not  indebted 
to  the  kindness  and  instrumentality  of  others ;  and  generally 
at  the  expense  of  toil  and  suffering,  involving  the  very 
principle  of  substitution  found  in  the  atonement  of  the  Son 
of  God  ?  Who  does  not  see,  that  in  the  general  adminis- 
tration of  this  world's  aflfairs  by  the  God  and  Judge  of  all, 
evil  is  often  averted  and  good  secured,  by  the  kind,  and  it 
may  be,  undeserved  intervention  of  one  in  behalf  of  another, 
who,  in  subjecting  himself  by  such  interposition,  to  a  larc-e 
share  of  the  eft'ects  of  the  evil  he  would  remove,  is  found 
essentially  in  the  place  of  the  party  aided  ;  and  assumino- 
the  responsibility  of  the  sufferer,  so  as  to  meet  the  claims, 
and  secure  the  satisfaction  of  law,  cancel  obligation,  and 
change  relations,  and  thus  effectually  remove  the  whole 
burden  of  disability  and  distress,  under  which  the  party 
labored  ?  Such  an  instance,  by  no  means  uncommon,  or 
rather  of  every-day  occurrence,  in  the  history  of  human 
intercourse,  is  essentially  a  vicarious  expedient,  and  analo- 
gous in  principle,  to  the  great  sacrifice  of  the  Christian 
system.  The  principles  most  essentially  implicated  by  the 
reasoning,  as   found   in   nature   and    Christianity,   are   so 


110  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

entirely  analogous,  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  divest  them 
of  the  mere  environment  of  circumstances,  to  establish 
their  identity  beyond  the  possibility  of  misconception. 

Once  more,  Christianity  assumes  the  doctrine,  and  reveals 
the  fact  of  Divine  aid  and  influence  —  the  communication 
of  trans-human  ability  connected  with  the  interests  of  man's 
immortality  ;  and  the  illumination  of  mind  and  change  of 
heart  implied,  constitute  a  grand  specialty  in  the  Christian 
scheme.  Such  illumination  and  change,  are  regarded  as 
essential  to  the  final  happiness  of  man.  This  heavenly 
influence  cannot  be  claimed  on  the  ground  of  worth  or 
merit  in  us.  —  It  is  the  gift  of  Almighty  Goodness,  unde- 
served by  man.  And  further,  it  must  be  sought  for, 
earnestly,  humbly,  and  with  perseverance,  in  the  way 
prescribed  in  the  only  system  of  moral  truth,  in  which 
the  hope  and  promise  of  it  are  found.  An  arrangement 
perfectly  analogous  to  this,  will  be  met  with,  regulating 
the  bestowment  upon  man  of  temporal  gifts  and  earthly 
good.  These,  as  a  general  rule,  have  been  placed  within 
the  reach  of  all  who  properly  exert  their  natural  powers, 
in  the  use  of  appropriate  means,  in  view  of  their  attainment; 
and  the  certainty  and  facility  of  acquisition  are  made  to 
depend  upon  the  effective  application  of  such  powers  and 
means  ;  while  success  is  endangered,  and  the  good  thrown 
away,  by  the  neglect  or  rejection  of  the  means  necessary 
to  secure  the  boon  we  are  in  quest  of.  In  the  latter  case 
not  less  than  in  the  former,  there  must  be  a  conviction  that 
the  good  in  question  is  needed,  —  that  it  will  not  be 
gratuitously  bestowed  as  matter  of  right  and  debt,  whether 
we  exert  ourselves  or  not ;  and  finally,  must  be  sought  for 
by  an  appeal  to  means  and  methods  directly  connected 
with  the  end  to  be  obtained.  So  that  the  arrangement  in 
nature  seems  to  create,  even  abstractly,  a  strong  proba- 
bility in  favor  of  a  kindred  arrangement,  in  any  system 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  Ill 

intended  to  supply  the  defects,  and  supplement  tlie  imper- 
fection of  natural  theology. 

But  ■why,  it  has  been  asked,  if  there  be  so  much  of  truth 
and  self-evidence  connected  with  the  Christian  system,  has 
it  been  so  generally  neglected,  rejected,  or  at  best,  received 
with  indiflference,  by  so  large  a  portion  of  the  thinking  part 
of  mankind  who  have  been  favored  with  its  liuht  ?  This 
anomaly,  as  it  is  thought  by  some,  and  which  has  been 
alluded  to  elsewhere,  may  be  accounted  for,  it  occurs  to  us, 
both  on  philosophical  and  moral  grounds.  We  all  know, 
because  all  must  have  seen,  with  what  unyielding  pertina- 
city, opinion  clings  to  its  accustomed  course  and  current 
of  operations ;  and  how  extremely  difficult  it  is  always 
found  to  be,  to  give  it  a  different,  and  especially  opposite 
direction.  When  the  mind  has  bestowed  sentiments  of 
approval  and  confidence,  it  is  always  reluctant,  and  even 
after  conviction,  slow  to  withdraw,  and  particularly  to 
re-bestow  them  upon  objects  and  qualities,  by  which  they 
have  not  been  familiarly  excited.  And  the  moral  reason 
for  this  result  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  the  prevalent  dispo- 
sitions and  tendencies  of  our  fallen  nature,  array  themselves 
directly  against  the  moral  restraints  and  ethical  exactions 
of  Christianity ;  and  hence,  an  additional  proof  of  its 
truth,  in  the  fulfillment  of  its  own  prediction  of  this  very 
result, —  "many  are  called,"  but  "few  are  chosen."  There 
is  scarcely  a  discovery  in  philosophy,  or  improvement  in 
science,  which  has  not  met  with  similar  reception  and 
resistance  from  the  human  mind. 

But  we  derive  a  most  important  argument  here  from 
negation.  The  burden  of  the  affirmative  argument  upon 
wh.ich  we  have  mainly  dwelt,  is,  that  the  admitted  principles 
and  existing  facts  of  natural  theology,  strikingly  concur  in 
the  suggestion  and  support  of  conclusions  which  constitute 
the  essential  foundation  of  the  Christian  system.    A  diflerent 


112  RKLATIVE   CLAIMS  OF 

train  of  reasoning,  however,  based  upon  entirely  diflferent, 
and  even  opposite  premises,  will  conduct  to  the  same  gen- 
eral inferences.  We  mean,  the  absence  of  facts  and  ascer- 
tained principles  in  the  system  of  nature  and  providence, 
adverse  to  the  inferences  upon  which  we  rely.  The  non- 
ascertainment  of  any  such  principles,  and  the  non-existence 
of  all  such  facts,  will  go  far  in  bespeaking  for  Christianity 
a  candid  and  considerate  hearino-.  The  onus  or  burden  of 
proof  here,  you  will  perceive,  changes  sides  in  the  argu. 
ment,  and  devolves  upon  infidelity.  In  failure,  however, 
to  show  such  principles,  or  produce  such  facts,  we  are 
allowed  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  strong  collateral  evidence 
thus  aflforded  to  the  truth  of  Christianity.  Nature  has 
been  severely  and  perseveringly  interrogated  to  this  effect, 
by  a  most  formidable  band  of  censors  ;  and  the  examina- 
tion has  been  alternately  conducted  by  schools  of  philosophy 
and  individual  assailants. — Witness  the  insanity  of  atheistic 
France  and  the  abjuration  of  Christianity  by  her  God- 
rejecting  millions  at  tlie  close  of  the  last  century;  —  the 
Black  Sea  of  German  neology  and  transcendentalism,  cast- 
ing up  the  mire  and  dirt  of  infidel  conjectures ;  —  the 
matchless  sophistry  of  the  penetrating  Hume,  and  his 
philosophical  associates  of  kindred  caliber  and  guild  !  To 
effect  the  purpose  in  view,  nature  has  been  questioned  by 
torture,  and  examined  upon  the  rack  !  The  sybil-caves 
of  doubt,  and  the  Delphine  shrines  of  unbehef  have  been 
appealed  to  in  every  age  :  —  the  priests  of  the  one  and  the 
other,  have  shouted  their  impatient  demands  in  the  ear  of 
destiny,  but  the  only  answer  returned  has  been  the  echo 
of  the  questions  asked  !  The  inquisition,  however  varied, 
has  failed. — The  attempted  demonstration  by  such  methods, 
—  in  fact,  the  whole  crusade  of  unbelief  in  this  way,  has 
been  despoiled  alike  of  potency  and  pretension ;  and  the 
field,   thus    left  open  to  more  candid  and  less  interested 


CHRISTIANITY  AND    INFIDELITY.  113 

inquiry,  lias  united  with  other  tracks  of  discovery  and 
sources  of  evidence,  in  furnishing  a  ricli  quota  of  proof,  in 
the  sliape  of  a  strong  antecedent  probability,  that  Chris- 
tianity is  in  aUiance  Vfith  nature,  and  by  consequence,  has 
proceeded  from  the  same  autlior. 

It  must  not  be  overlooked,  however,  that  a  hypothesis 
has  often  been  brought  forward  by  infidel  philosophy,  to 
the  effect,  that  were  Christianity  what  it  assumes  to  be, 
and  its  benefits  and  blessings  so  essential  to  human  happi- 
ness, it  is  incredible  to  suppose  that  a  being  of  infinite 
goodness  would  not,  at  once,  obtrude  it  upon  the  notice, 
and  place  it  directly  within  the  reach  of  all.  This  objection, 
in  part,  has  been  answered  at  length  in  another  place,  but 
it  may  be  worthy  of  some  further  notice,  as  it  is  oflen  very 
much  relied  on.  In  further  replying  to  this  objection,  the 
first  step  will  be,  to  inquire  whether  there  is  anything  anal- 
ogous to  tlie  arrangement  complained  of,  in  the  constitution 
and  administration  of  nature — (the  text-book  both  of  infi- 
delity and  Christianity  in  this  inquiry,)  or  whether  it  is 
entirely  anomalous.  Take  then  the  range  of  science  and 
art,  discovery  and  invention,  as  a  starting  point,  and  how- 
ever viewed,  we  can  only  regard  them  as  an  interpretation 
of  nature.  Are  these,  we  ask,  essential  to  human  happi- 
ness ?  What  has  been  the  contribution,  to  this  effect,  of 
each;  —  of  science  —  of  art  —  of  discovery  —  of  inven- 
tion ?  And  now  inquire  when,  how,  and  to  whom,  such 
contribution  was  made  ?  Was  it  in  the  early  ages  of  the 
world,  and  to  the  multitudinous  nations  of  the  East  ?  Was 
it  by  a  sudden  and  general  divulgement,  or  by  slow  and 
scarcely  perceptible  degrees  ?  Was  it  a  gratuitous  bestow- 
ment,  or  the  fruit  of  ages  of  toil,  and  the  most  elaborate 
investigation  ?  To  propound  these  questions  is  to  answer 
them.     How  long  is  it,  for  example,  since   the  philosophy 

of  the  higher  mathematics  began  to  be  applied  to  the  useful 
VOL.   II — 10, 


1  1  4  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

purposes  of  life  ?     What  of  astronomy,  of  mechanics,  of 
chemistry,  especially,  as  it  regards  such  purposes  ?     Why 
withheld  from  the  countless  millions  of  antiquity?     Why 
are  some  six  hundred  millions  of  the  human  family,  at  this 
very  moment,  in  a  state  of  similar  destitution  ?     Why  was 
not  the  telescope  known  to  the  rude  Ptolemaic  astronomy, 
and  found  in  the  hands  of  Chaldean  star-gazers  ?     Why 
did   not  the   needle  and  compass  guide  the  mariners  of 
Tarsus  on  the  ancient  Mediterranean  ?     Why  was  not  the 
printing-press  in  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  groaning 
with  indignant  rebuke  upon  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  throw- 
ing oft'  the  memoirs  of  the  Abrahamic  family,  as  the  avowed 
receivers  of  a  revelation  from  Heaven,  upon  the  plains  of 
Mesopotamia  ?     Why  was  not  the  inductive  philosophy, 
as  the  great  calculus  by  which   we   become   acquainted 
with   the    infinitude  of   the  universe,   connecting   earthly 
littleness  with  heavenly  grandeur,  known  to  the  ancients  ? 
What  an  incalculable  amount  of  degradation  and  misery 
it  must  have  prevented  1     Why  was  the  knowledge  of  even 
the  lunar  indications  and  influences,  most  necessary  to  the 
purposes  of  human  life,  withheld  from  man  for  five  thou- 
sand years  and  more,  after  his  creation  ;  and  so  of  the  rest  ? 
All  these  are,  by  common  consent,  immeasurably  useful 
and  necessary;  and  in  view  of  their  late  bestowment  or 
discovery,   how  will  infidelity  upon    its    own   hypothesis 
here,  vindicate  nature  and  providence  from  the  imputation 
of  want,  both  of  wisdom  and  kindness  ?     Can  it  be  done  at 
all,  except  by  supposing  that  the  discovery  and  application, 
in  each  instance,  has  taken  place  by  the  pre-appoiutment 
of  the  universal  God  who  owns  and  governs  all,  at  a  time 
and  under  circumstances,  best  calculated  to    secure  the 
utmost  possible  good  to  all  concerned,  and  in  view  of  all 
contingencies? 

Let  Christianity,  then,  be  governed  by  the  same  rule. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITT.  115 

and  we  ask  no  indulgence  for  her.  We  dread  no  scrutiny  ; 
for  it  will  be  seen  at  once,  that  revelation  blends  the  good 
of  mankind  with  the  comprehensive  laws  and  generalities 
belonging  to  the  universal  system  over  which  God  presides, 
and  whose  administration  he  conducts,  so  far  as  man  is 
interested,  with  the  double  intention  of  bestowing,  not  only 
immediate  benefit,  but  of  training,  educating,  and  preparing 
him  for  the  future, — the  immortality  of  being  which  is  his 
natural  inheritance,  and  by  consequence,  a  part  of  his 
essential  physiology,  and  without  just  reference  to  which, 
it  is  impossible  to  understand  his  nature,  or  appreciate  his 
destiny.  And  thus,  by  a  preliminary  examination  of  the 
great  systems  of  nature  and  revelation, —  an  outline  sum- 
mary of  the  coincident,  and  yet  diverse  dispensations  of 
natural  religion  and  Chistianity,  we  are  presented  with  the 
very  striking, —  the  converging  tendency  of  all  the  differ- 
ent integral  parts  of  each  to  the  same  determinate  point, — 
the  revelation  and  establishment  of  the  momentous  truths, 
—  the  fundamental  principles  of  Christianity.  And  the 
Bible,  given  by  God  to  man,  thus  becomes  significantly 
the  book  of  earth,  because  the  great  expounder  of  the  laws 
and  principles  of  nature. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  briefly  review  the  general  argument, 
and  leave  it  with  you.  After  proposing,  we  commenced 
the  examination  of  this  subject,  by  asking  attention  to  the 
intellectual  constitution  and  moral  nature  of  man,  as  furnish- 
ing the  great  subjective  basis  of  Christianity,  and  without 
just  views  of  which,  its  principles  are  unintelligible,  and 
its  provisions  and  relations,  without  application  or  signifi- 
cance. His  intellectual  freedom  and  moral  agency  —  his 
undoubted  power  of  self-determination,  so  as  to  secure  the 
result  of  giving  character  to  himself  and  color  to  his  des- 
tiny, were  viewed  as  necessary  data  to  understand  and 
explain  the  relations  and  application  of  the  Christian  system ; 


116  RELATIVE  CLAIMS    OF 

and.  the  provisional  adaptations  of  this  system,  prove  tlie 
author  of  the  one  to  have  been  the  author  of  the  other.  It 
was  found  important,  moreover,  to  notice  man's  singular 
conformation,  as  compounded  of  the  two  great  substantive 
elements  of  universal  being  —  matter  and  spirit,  in  order 
to  account  for  some  of  the  doctrines  and  hopes  of  Chris- 
tianity, such  especially  as  the  death  of  the  body, —  the 
dissolution  of  the  organic,  animalized  materialism  of  man's 
nature,  known  to  all,  and  his  resurrection  from  the  grave, 
assumed  by  revelation.  To  see  what  Christianity  is,  it  is 
necessary  to  understand  human  nature  in  its  grander  ele- 
ments, and  more  fearful  liabilities.  It  was  shown  too,  by 
a  great  variety  of  arguments,  and  in  a  diversity  of  aspects, 
which,  we  think,  must  place  it  beyond  all  dispute,  that 
human  nature  is  not  now,  what  it  must  have  been  when  in 
primeval  purity  it  left  the  hand  of  the  Creator  ;  but  is  fallen 
and  in  a  state  of  ruin  and  disorder ;  and  as  the  whole 
Christian  system  turns  upon  this,  it  is  a  strong  —  an  irre- 
sistible presumption  of  its  truth. 

It  was  also  shown,  that  however  clearly  natural  theology 
may  reveal  the  being  and  attributes  of  God,  especially  those 
distinguished  as  the  natural  perfections  of  Deily,  and  how- 
ever forcibly  it  may  suggest  man's  moral  relations,  yet 
there  are  aspects  in  which  natural  theology  is  in  the  habit 
of  viewing  man,  whose  ultimate  bearings  are  not  disposed 
of  by  the  light  of  nature  in  any  way  ;  and  this,  it  was  seen, 
is  especially  true  of  man  as  a  fallen  being, —  a  lapsed  intel- 
ligence, and  as  such,  a  subject  of  sin  and  death.  And 
from  the  fact  that  this  defect  is  supplied  by  Christianity, 
we  derived  an  additional  argument  for  its  truth. 

An  argument  also  for  the  truth  of  Christianity,  was 
deduced  from  tlie  power  and  functions  of  conscience, 
regarded  as  a  supreme  and  ascendant  principle  in  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  constitution  of  man.    Not  such — notthu3 


CHRISTIANITY  AND   INFIDELTXr.  117 

sovereign  and  ascendant,  it  is  true,  in  fad  —  in  the  actual 
history  of  man,  but  such,  beyond  all  doubt,  by  rirjU  —  by 
the  intention  and  appointment  of  the  Creator.  And  the 
fact  of  conscience  being  despoiled  of  actual  precedence  and 
sovereignty,  proves  irrefutably,  and  to  all,  the  disordered 
condition  of  human  nature  ;  and  this,  without  depriving 
us  of  the  evidences  of  conscience  to  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  inasmuch  as  its  teachings  and  decisions  have,  in 
all  ages,  implicated  the  great  and  leading  truths  of  the 
Christian  religion.  They  are  found  in  the  very  contexture 
of  the  moral  frame  of  man,  engraven  by  the  finger  of 
God,  and  thus  prove  that  they  must  have  had  a  common 
origin. 

It  was  seen  also,  that  the  striking — the  almost  patent 
resemblance  between  the  intellectual  and  moral  manifesta- 
tions of  natural  theology  and  Christianity,  render  the 
former,  not  only  suggestive,  but  literally  prophetic  of  the 
latter ;  particularly  as  regards  the  nature  and  origin  of 
moral  evil,  the  immortality  of  man,  the  method  of  recon- 
ciliation with  Heaven,  and  the  rewards  and  punishments  of 
a  future  state  ;  and  the  inference  was  found  to  be,  beyond 
all  doubt,  the  same. 

It  was  shown  that  the  views  and  lessons  of  natural 
theology,  on  these  topics,  most  clearly  and  impressively 
desiderate  the  necessity  of  such  a  system  as  the  Christian 
revelation  is  known  to  be.  The  millions  of  earth,  in  every 
diversity  of  condition,  felt  it  as  a  want  of  the  heart,  and 
such  want  existed  as  the  text  of  common  regret ! 

We  reached  the  further  conclusion,  that  the  defects  of 
natural  religion  alone,  are  sufficient  to  suggest  to  the 
inquirer  the  importance  of  some  adequate,  effective  remedy 
for  the  removal  of  the  evils  under  which  it  has  labored 
imraemorially,  and  must  always  continue  to  labor.  And 
as  Christianity  answers   the  purposes  indicated,  we  infer  it 


1  1  8  RELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

must   be  the  system  to  whicli  the  prophecies  of  nature 
pointed,  and  therefore  true. 

We  hkewise  attempted  to  demonstrate  that  these  lessons 
and  revelations  of  the  religion  of  nature,  and  especially  the 
felt,  universal  conviction  of  its  defects,  and  insufficiency  for 
the  purposes  of  man's  recovery  to  the  forfeited  favor  of  the 
God  and  Judge  of  the  universe,  naturally  and  necessarily 
predispose  and  prepare  the  mind  of  the  student  of  nature 
for  further  and  more  explicit  disclosures,  relating  both  to 
the  principles  and  ethics  of  natural  theology;  and  it  follows, 
Christianity  must  be  true  or  nature  false. 

It  was  assumed,  and  the  proof  elaborated,  that  even  the 
more  distinguishing  peculiarities  of  the  Christian  system, 
involve  no  principles,  the  counterpart  of  which  may  not  be 
found  in  nature  and  providence,  if  we  except,  merely,  the 
manner  and  special  conditions  of  its  manifestation;  and 
hence,  they  are  related  systems.  It  was  shown,  too,  at 
length,  tliat  no  change  has  taken  place  in  the  great  princi- 
ples of  moral  rectitude  found  in  nature,  by  their  reappear- 
ance and  relative  position  in  the  system  of  revelation.  That 
they  have  been  modified  and  varied  as  it  regards  form  and 
application,  is  certain,  but  the  only  change  relates  to  their 
clearer  manifestation  and  more  enlarged  development. 

And  thus,  we  wei^  led  to  notice  the  disclosures  of  nature, 
as  inceptive,  and  introductory  to  the  superior  and  conclu- 
sive revelations  of  Christianity.  God  is  the  author  of  both 
systems  in  common,  because  the  same  universal  truths 
pervade  both.  And  in  addition,  it  was  seen,  that  the 
A'arious  compartments  and  divisions  of  science,  with  all  its 
well-ascertained  conclusions,  have  most  unexpectedly  and 
certainly,  in  most  instances  imintenLionally,  contributed  to 
illustrate  and  confirm  the  great  mass  of  Christian  evidence, 
both  as  it  regards  the  philosophy  of  Christianity,  and  its 
external  credentials.     Now,  as  science  is  a  knowledge  of 


CHRISTIANITV  AND   INFIDELITY.  1  1  9 

nature,  this  fact  confirms  all  our  reasoning,  as  an  appeal  to 
nature. 

It  was  further  shown,  that  the  whole  amount  of  the 
evidence  for  the  truth  of  Christianity  from  natural  theology, 
has  been  brought  to  the  test  of  facts  and  experience,  and 
the  ordinary  methods  of  scientific  investigation,  and  there- 
fore, cannot  be  rejected  as  illegitimate  evidence.  The  truth 
of  the  whole  was  inferred  and  insisted  upon,  in  view 
of  the  manifest  inconsistency  —  the  self-evident,  eternal 
absurdity  of  an  opposite  system  of  belief,  necessarily 
involved  in  the  negative  of  the  argument,  or  the  infidel  side 
of  the  question. 

We  saw,  in  continuation  of  the  same  train  of  reasonino-, 
that  although  we  cannot  furnish  a  solution  for  every 
diflaciilty  —  cannot  dissipate  all  obscurity,  yet,  we  reach 
the  satisfactory  consummation,  that  the  truth  "and  claims  of 
Christianity,  are  too  strong  to  be  materially  aftected  by  any 
difficulties  or  obscurity  with  which  we  may  have  to  contend 
in  the  investigation;  and  this  is  all  we  can  expect  as  il 
regards  truth  of  any  kind,  and  it  should  therefore  satisfy 
us  here. 

We  have  also  seen,  that  the  facts  and  data  of  natural 
theology  constitute  the  great  ultimate  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  that  the  truths  dawning  upon  us  in  the  one, 
give  us  their  meridian  splendor  in  the  other,  and  thus  we 
are  driven  to  the  same  conclusion.  Revelation,  abstractly, 
and  in  its  most  material  aspects,  has  been  shown  to  be 
natural,  and  perfectly  coincident  with  the  ordinary  dispen- 
sations of  providence  ;  and  viewing  the  agency  of  mind  as 
essentially  distinct  and  separate  from  the  mechanism  of 
nature,  and  taking  into  the  account  its  dignity  and  rela- 
tions, it  has  been  seen  with  what  propriety  it  is  appealed  to 
by  a  revelation  from  Heaven,  as  it  cannot  be  governed  by 
the  laws,  regulating   tlie   masses  and   movements   of  the 


120  KELATIVE  CLAIMS  OF 

intelligent  universe  ;  and  moreover,  requires  a  high  moral 
regimen,  such  as  revelation  provides.  Had  revelation  not 
been  given,  therefore,  the  wonder  would  have  been  whu 
it  was  withheld.  It  was  inferred  further,  and  the  proba- 
bility shown  to  be  so  strong  as  to  evince  irrefragably,  that 
had  such  a  code  of  moral  legislation  reached  us  through 
some  perfectly  ordinary  medium  —  a  method  of  commu- 
nication every  way  earthly  and  merely  human,  instead  of 
being  neglected  and  rejected,  as  a  system  of  moral  truth, 
it  would  have  been  hailed  as  a  desideratum  of  unrivalled 
importance  —  the  summuvi  bomim  of  our  race  !  Hence,  its 
rejection  is  chargeable  with  caprice  and  absurdity. 

It  was  also  attempted  to  strengthen  the  argument  from 
natural  theology  for  the  truth  of  Christianity,  by  calling 
your  attention  to  the  material  universe  as  the  mere  platform 
or  theater  for  the  display  of  the  intellectual  and  moral 
manifestations  of  the  universe  of  mind,  and  by  inquiring 
what  must  probably  be  the  relations  and  consequence  of 
each  individual  mind  in  the  a^'oreo-ate  estimate  of  the  uni- 
versal  system  ;  and  they  were  found  to  be  such  as  to  justify 
and  require  a  revelation  from  Heaven.  An  appeal  to  the 
inevitable  condition  of  all  knowledge,  has  clearly  evinced 
the  impossibility  of  knowing  anything  in  all  its  relations, 
and  tlie  actual  disservice  that  would  probably  i-esult  to 
human  interests,  were  such  knowledge  attainable  by  man  ; 
and  hence,  the  mysteries  of  Christianity  take  their  place, 
side  by  side,  with  those  of  nature  and  science  ;  and  cannot 
be  complained  of  without  an  abuse  of  the  human  under- 
standing. 

It  was  likewise  seen,  in  the  progress  of  the  argument, 
that  clear  and  unambio-uous  as  the  evidence  and  claims  of 
Chi-istianity  may  be,  it  does  not  destroy  man's  moral  agency, 
by  compelling  his  faith  and  obedience,  and  in  tliis  respect, 
stands  related  to  us  precisely  as  natural  theology,  does,  — 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  INFIDELITY.  121 

addressing  the  reason  of  man,  and  urging  motives,  but 
never  appealing  to  violence  or  compulsion  ;  and  hence,  the 
close  analogy  between  them.  We  urged  a  presumption  in 
favor  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  based  upon  the  fact,  that 
incoutestibly  beyond  anything  found  in  nature,  science,  or 
art,  its  tendency  is  to  develope  and  bring  into  eflectivo 
action,  the  intellectual  and  moral  powers  of  our  nature  ; 
and  the  inference  is,  that  God  must  be  the  author  of  both. 
It  was  argued  still  further,  and  the  same  inference  reached, 
from  the  correspondence  between  our  known  state  of  earthly 
discipline  and  trial,  and  the  futurity  disclosed  by  revela- 
tion— and  the  one  can  mean  nothing  unless  the  other  be 
true  ! 

It  was  demonstrated,  furthermore, —  for  the  question  is 
one  of  fact  and  history,  and  therefore  admits  of  demonstra- 
tion,—  that  the  experience  of  mankind,  in  all  time,  since 
the  first  publication  of  Christianity,  accredits  its  disclosures, 
and  confirms  its  pretensions  ;  and  Christianity  is  credible 
to  the  extent  that  history  and  experience  are  reliable  sources 
of  information. 

We  also  adverted  to  the  strong  collateral  evidence, 
derived  from  the  rapid  spread  and  unprecedented  triumph 
of  Christianity,  under  circumstances  of  discouragement 
and  repulsion,  which,  but  for  the  Divinity  of  its  origin, 
must  have  crushed  and  given  it  to  oblivion  !  And  we 
must  proclaim  our  want  of  sense  in  denying  the  fact,  or 
admit  the  hand  of  God  in  the  result ! 

We  have  but  just  now  turned  to  Christianity,  and  lookino- 
at  her  first  principles,  turned  away,  and  said  if  these  be 
true,  similar  lessons,  as  their  prototypes,  will  be  found  in 
nature ;  and  on  appealing  to  nature,  we  met  them  there,  in 
proof  of  what  we  had  assumed.  The  reasoning  which  fur- 
nished us  with  an  argument  from  negation,  assures  us,  that 
there  are  no  ascertained  truths  or  principles,  making  up  the 

VOL.    11 11. 


122  BELATIVK   CLAIMS   OP 

code  of  nature  and  providence,  or  liaving  any  relevancy  to 
the  subject  in  question,  tlie  archetypes  of  which  are  not 
found  in  Christianity,  as  conclusive  evidence  of  its  truth  ! 

And  it  was  shown  too,  with  equal  clearness,  and  force 
of  inference,  that  the  want  of  absolute  universality  as  it 
reo-ards  the  diffusion  of  revelation  amono-  all  the  nations  of 
the  world,  and  during  its  ages,  is  in  perfect  analogy  with 
nature,  and  the  whole  course  of  human  improvement,  and 
cannot,  therefore,  affect  injuriously  the  general  argument 
for  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  upon  which  we  have 
been  insisting. 

And  thus,  finally,  by  an  inductive  elaboration  of  facts 
and  principles  found  in  nature,  we  reach  the  weighty  con- 
clusion, that  natural  theology  is,  in  strictness,  an  antecedent 
dispensation  from  God  to  man  ;  and  as  such,  the  great 
precursor  of  Christianity  ;  —  that  it  is,  with  all  its  defects 
and  insufficiency,  essentially  kindred  in  character  and  pur- 
pose, and  that  the  latter,  in  consequence,  receives  an 
indefinite  augmentation  of  evidence  and  illustration,  from 
the  coincidence  and  sanction  of  the  former.  And  thus,  to 
the  utter  confusion  and  dismay  of  infidelity,  the  lessons 
and  indications  —  the  external  and  internal  revelations  of 
tlie  theology  of  nature  and  conscience,  fix  the  inquisitive 
gaze  —  the  concentrated  attention  of  interested,  anxious 
millions  upon  the  Christian  religion,  as  the  word  of  a  more 
full  and  explicit  communication  from  God  to  man,  and  the 
only  accredited,  living  inter-medium  between  Heaven  and 
earth  !  We  only  add,  may  we  be  allowed  to  hope,  the  force 
of  the  argument  will  be  felt,  notwithstanding  its  imperfec- 
tions !  Phidias  left  many  a  wrinkle  upon  the  brow  of  Jove, 
and  yet  preserved  the  features  of  the  god !  The  dust  in 
the  sunbeam  playing  before  you,  proves  its  presence  still 
more  clearly,  and  enhances,  by  contrast,  its  beauty  and 
brilliancy  !     Who  can  examine  the  subject,  as  proposed. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND    INFIDELITY.  123 

without  being  more  than  ever  persuaded  of  the  heavenly 
origin  of  Christianity ;  and  that  victorious  over  every 
enemy,  and  all  doubt,  she  is  destined  to  extend  and  prevail, 
commensurate  with  the  reign  of  reason,  and  the  empire  of 
time,  and  that  having  thus,  by  a  slowly  evolving  process, 
from  ao-e  to  ase,  wrought  out  the  solution  of  her  own  truth 
and  mystery,  earth,  with  all  her  unnumbered  tongues  and 
tribes,  shall  be  seen,  baptized  from  the  past,  and  rising  from 
a  thousand  thrones  to  do  her  homaoe  ! 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS, 


DELIVERED   BEFORE   THE 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES  OF  MADISON  COLLEGE, 


UNIONTOWN,  PEKN., 


SEPTEMBER  15,  1827. 


# 


Inaugttral   |iiriirus» 


Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  — 

AND    MY   audience  : 

On  the  subject  of  education,  you  will  expect 
but  little  that  is  new. —  All  definitions  of  the  same  thing 

—  all  illustrations  of  the  same  subject,  must  necessarily 
resemble. 

In  the  remarks  we  have  to  offer,  on  the  present  occasion, 
we  have  attempted  to  sketch  an  intelledual  chart  —  imper- 
fectly presenting  what  we  conceive  to  be  the  essential 
elements  of  useful  knoioledge. 

The  range  of  thought  proposed,  will  embrace, 

1st.  The  origin,  dignity,  and  destination  oi  man,  together 
with,  his  powers  and  passions — his  relations  and  duties:  — 

2d.  Education  —  its  nature  and  uses :  — 

3d.  Its  influence  upon  man,  as  an  intellectual,  moral, 
and  social  being :  — 

4th.  A  brief  survey  of  the  history  and  advantages  of 
enlightened  education :  — 

5th.  The  present  j^rospeds  of  Literature,  throughout  the 
world :  — 

6th.  The  union  of  Science  and  Religion:  —  And  fljially 

—  concludinfj:  Remarks. 

Han  is  perhaps,  the  most  singularly  constituted  being, 

in  the  hiffh  scale  of  Heaven's  mvsterious  workmanship  ; 
,>  a  "  127 


128  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

and  if  we  except  the  heavenly  intelligencies,  he  stands  pre- 
eminent amono-  all  the  works  of  God.  Unitincj  in  himself  a 
thousand  modifications  of  matter,  and  the  endless  varieties 
of  mind ;  by  his  material  part,  connected  with  things 
terrestrial ;  by  the  immaterial,  claiming  alliance  with  a 
higher  and  nobler  world  above  ;  mortal  and  immortal,  in 
his  complex  nature  ;  tending  to  the  tomb,  and  yet  superior 
to  its  ravages ;  ever  converging  to  corruption,  and  the 
darkness  of  the  grave  —  and  yet,  conscious  of  undying 
energies  within  ;  he  presents  us  with  a  problem  in  the 
science  of  being,  the  solution  of  which,  can  only  be 
realized,  in  a  direct  communication  from  the  Creator  to 
the  creature  —  of  whose  mysterious  formation  and  attri- 
butes, we  are  now  speaking.  Man  seems  in  himself,  to 
unite  the  diversities  of  created  nature,  and  stand  forth,  not 
unaptly,  to  the  contemplation  of  intelligence,  as  an  epitome 
of  being — an  abridgment  of  the  universe  !  Of  the  primitive 
condition  and  ultimate  destination  of  man,  it  cannot  be 
necessary  for  us  to  speak  at  length,  here.  Nature,  tradition, 
and  inspiration,  unite  in  their  testimon}^  that  he  left  the 
hand  of  the  Creator,  combining  in  himself,  the  elements 
of  an  existence,  splendid  in  its  structure,  and  boundless  in 
prospect. 

Indued  with  the  high  and  distingixishing  attributes  of 
intelligence,  volition,  and  emotion,  man  is  distinguished  as 
occupying  the  summit  of  creation's  visible  pyramid  —  and 
prepared  to  move  forward  forever,  with  firm  and  unfettered 
tread,  in  the  paths  of  virtue,  of  science,  and  of  moral 
illumination. 

The  phenomena  attendant  upon  the  original  formation  of 
man,  stamped  upon  him  the  signature  of  his  value  ;  and 
intimated  in  no  obscure  way,  the  part  he  was  to  act,  in  the 
great  drama  of  existence.  The  manifestations  of  nature  — 
his  own  consciousness  —  and  the  affirmation  of  the  Beinir 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  129 

who  made  him  —  all  gave  notice,  that  he  was  destined  to 
run  a  high  career,  amid  the  eventful  and  unknown  fortunes 
of  creation. 

Man's  intellectual  dominion  is  almost  without  limit ;  his 
knowledge  of  the  present,  compared  with  the  past,  and 
reaching  forward  to  the  future,  enables  him  to  arrange 
and  classify  important  and  kindred  facts,  upon  the  grand 
principle  of  induction;  and  hand  them  down  to  future 
generations,  as  the  well  attested  record  of  experience.  New 
and  more  ample  fields  of  discovery,  continually  open  before 
him ;  and  he  only  ceases  to  learn,  with  the  termination  of 
his  earthly  being.  And,  indeed,  it  is  not  at  all  improbable, 
that  the  virtuous  and  good,  beyond  the  grave,  will  continue 
to  increase  the  sum  of  knowledge,  by  observation,  intuition, 
and  intercourse,  until  universal  nature  shall  be  spread  out 
before  the  eye  of  the  heavenly  inhabitant,  as  a  boundless 
exhibition  of  the  Infinite  God  !  It  is  the  distinguishing  pre- 
rogative of  man,  while  all  the  living  creatures,  with  which 
he  finds  himself  surrounded,  are  necessarily  confined  within 
the  narrow  and  groveling  limits,  fixed  and  defined  by 
instinct  —  to  extend  his  researches  beyond  his  own  imme- 
diate wants  and  concerns,  and  delight  and  improve  himself 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  Universe. 

The  wide  and  impressive  prospects  of  this  fair  creation, 
are  all  before  him  —  the  glory  of  the  heavens  —  the 
beauty  of  the  earth,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  ocean,  the  hill, 
the  dale,  the  mine,  the  quarry,  afford  an  intensity  of  delight, 
a  force  of  appeal,  calculated  to  improve  and  m.end  the 
heart.  They  all  hold  one  common  language,  and  that 
language  is  directed  to  man,  the  only  terrestrial  being  who 
is  capable  of  intelligent  admiration. 

2d.  Education  —  Its  nature  and  uses. 

Education  is  a  term,  to  the  meaning  of  which,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  set  limits  ;  it  is  a  phrase  comprehending  in  the 


130  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

range  of  its  application,  all  the  efibrts  and  contingencies, 
both  of  design  and  accident  —  as  they  tend  either  to 
develop  or  influence  the  powers  and  passions  of  a  sentient 
being.  Education,  whether  systematic  or  miscellaneous, 
is  intended  to  give  suitable  and  salutary  direction,  to  the 
physical  and  intellectual  energies  of  man  ;  fixing  his  atten- 
tion, and  attaching  his  ambition  to  an  ever  increasing  infinite 
good  —  imperfectly  enjoyed  in  the  present  state  of  being, 
and  destined  to  be  boundlessly  unfolded  in  the  world  to 
come.  Education  is,  therefore,  good  or  bad,  hopeful  or 
defective  —  as  it  tends  to  promote  or  injure  the  interests 
of  our  common  nature  —  connected,  as  it  is,  in  the  light  of 
duty  and  destiny,  with  the  pursuits  of  this  world,  and  the 
recompenses  of  another.  Viewed  in  this  light,  no  one  who 
is  capable  of  reaching  any  just  conclusion,  by  the  laws 
of  correct  investigation,  can  for  a  moment,  doubt  the 
great  importance,  of  a  well-directed,  enlightened  education. 
Writers  on  the  subject  of  education,  have  divided  it  into 
physical,  intellectual,  and  moral ;  but  as  we  do  not  deem 
this  classification  of  the  nature  and  objects  of  education,  of 
essential  importance,  we  shall  not  call  it  up  again. 

Education  is  designed  to  diminish  the  evils,  and  increase 
the  comforts  and  quiet  of  human  life  ;  it  is  intended  to 
prepare  man  for  usefulness  and  happiness  ;  and  should  be 
principally  conducted  so  as  to  qualify  the  student  for  any 
conceivable  destination  allotted  him  by  Providence.  To 
live  well,  in  whatever  station,  is  the  great  business  and 
interest  of  man ;  and  to  this  purpose,  the  efforts  of  instruction 
should  be  mainly  directed.  As  a  solitary,  or  as  a  social 
being,  man  must  be  partially  wretched,  if  devoid  of  proper 
instruction ;  but  if  possessed  of  the  advantages  of  education, 
nothiog  but  an  evil,  an  upbraiding  conscience,  can  make 
him  miserable.  In  the  city,  or  the  desert  —  a  palace,  or  a 
cottage — in  robes,  or  in  rags — standing  on  land,  or  rolling 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  131 

on  the  ocean  —  buried  amid  the  snows  of  Iceland,  or 
burning  beneath  the  fervors  of  the  Torrid  Zone  —  he  has 
resources  of  whicli  he  can  only  be  deprived,  by  the  Potuer 
that  conferred  them.  Beggared  by  misfortune  —  exiled  by 
friends  —  abjured  by  society,  and  deprived  of  its  solace  — 
the  interior  of  the  intellectual  structure,  continues  unaffecled 
and  underanged,  amid  the  accumulating  wretchedness 
without ;  and  the  temple  of  the  soul  is  still  sacred  to  the 
cherished  recollections  of  "Nature  and  Nature's  God!" 
Hence,  arises  the  importance  of  education  :  it  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  happiness  of  man,  in  whatever  aspect 
we  view  him.  He  may,  indeed,  do  without  it ;  for  we  can 
compel  no  one  to  become  either  respectable  or  happy  — 
but  we  hesitate  not  to  afl&rm,  that  he  cannot  answer  the 
end  of  his  being,  without  some  share  of  the  moral  culture, 
for  which  we  plead.  If  it  be  alleged,  that  Christianity 
supersedes  the  necessity  of  education,  we  reply,  it  is  one 
of  the  first  and  most  obvious  lessons  of  revealed  religion, 
that  we  cultivate  our  minds,  and  store  them,  with  useful 
knowledge. 

Ignorance  has,  in  all  ages,  tended  to  the  dishonor  of  the 
Creator,  and  the  degradation  of  the  creature ;  she  has 
successively  plucked  "attribute  after  attribute  from  the 
diadem"  of  the  Deity  —  and  one  glory  after  another,  from 
the  escutcheon  of  man  —  until,  in  her  eye,  and  with  her 
votaries,  the  proud  distinctions  of  man  are  reduced  to  the 
moito  of  a  beast — "eat,  drink,  and  die!"  It  has  been  the 
business  and  glory  of  science,  in  all  ages,  to  awaken  the 
fears  and  disturb  the  repose  of  ignorance,  without  infringing 
upon  the  right  of  men  to  remain  ignorant,  if  it  be  their 
choice  and  purpose  to  do  so.  Science,  in  all  its  forms,  and 
during  the  entire  progress  of  ixs  history,  has  persecuted 
vice,  without  opposing  the  vicious,  or  contravening  the 
freedom  of  the  human  will.    In  order  to  effect  successfull^s 


132  iNArrcuRAL  address. 

the  valuable  purposes  of  education,  it  should  commence 
with  the  earliest  sensations  of  the  infant ;  and  it  should  be 
tiie  aim  of  those  concerned,  not  to  oppose  nature,  in  any  of 
her  apparent  intentions  or  ope'rations  ;  but,  by  all  possible 
means,  aid  and  second  her  efforts  and  processes,  in  the 
development  of  the  infant  powers,  whether  physical  or 
intellectual.  Hopeful  impressions  should  be  made  —  valu- 
able sensations  should  be  streuo-thened  —  and  ao-reeable 
associations  created ;  these  to  "grow  with  the  growth,  and 
strengthen  with  the  strength  "  of  the  child.  The  natural 
inquisitiveness  and  docility  of  the  infant  mind,  render  it 
necessary,  in  order  to  ultimate  success,  that  the  important 
business  of '  education,  be  commenced  at  an  early  period, 
and  gradually  carried  on,  in  view  of  the  advancing  powers, 
and  opening  promise  of  the  pupil.  Such  a  process  will 
place  those  who  are  subjected  to  it,  in  a  situation,  in  which 
they  can  avail  themselves  of  all  the  advantages,  both  of 
nature  and  art,  in  acquiring  a  good  education.  This  view 
of  the  subject,  is  based  upon  the  well-known  fact — that 
for  the  faculties  of  his  mind,  man  is  indebted  to  nature  ; 
but  for  the  evolution  of  faculty,  and  the  furniture  of  his 
mind,  he  must  depend  on  education. 

3d.  We  may  further  trace  the  influence  of  education  upon 
man,  as  an  intellectual,  social,  and  moral  being. 

It  is  a  remark  of  Lord  Bacon,  that  human  nature  will 
rise  and  luxuriate,  in  the  character,  either  of  useful  plants 
or  Avorthless  weeds  ;  and  man's  distinguishing  qualities,  in 
this  respect,  will  depend  materially  upon  education.  If 
habit,  as  the  same  writer  remarks,  is  the  "Magistrate  of  a 
man's  life,"  it  must  at  once  appear  important,  that  education 
be  not  only  attended  to,  but  well  chosen  and  well  directed. 
It  has  been  pertinently  observed  by  the  celebrated  Rollin, 
that  the  university  of  Paris  founded  by  the  kings  of  France, 
had  three  principal  objects  in  view  —  science,  morals,  and 

f 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  133 

religion.     These  constitute  the  legitimate  objects  of  educa- 
tion.    Education  is,  to  the  intellectual  eye,  what  light  is  to 
the  natural ;  it  enables  it  with  safety  and  fidelity,  to  distin- 
guish between  right  and  wrong  —  truth  and  error  ;  and  is, 
therefore,  vitally  and  philosophically  connected  with  the 
intellectual,  social,  and  moral  character,  as  well  as  final 
destiny  of  man.     That  natural  inequalities  and  a  diversity 
of  intellect,  obtain  among  mankind,  cannot  be  denied  ;  but, 
that  education  is  the  great  and  most  common  source  of  dis- 
tinction between  man  and  man,  is  equally  certain.     It  is 
not  at  all  improbable,  that  there  are  men  in  this  audience, 
possessed  of  as  good  natural  intellect  as  Euler  or  Leibnitz, 
Newton  or  Boyle  ;  and  why  not  men  of  equal  greatness  ? 
The  answer  is,  the  want  of  education  and  application,  and 
proper  direction  given  to  both.     This,  we  have  no  doubt,  is 
the  grand  differential  ground  of  distinction  between  the 
large  majority  of  human  minds.     It  is  the  design  of  educa- 
tion, not  only  to  impart  knowledge,  but  to  strengthen  the 
mental    powers.      It   is    intended   to    develop    the    native 
treasures  and  resources  of  the  mind,  and  give  proper  tension 
and  force,  and  suitable  direction,  to  all  the  intellectual  ener- 
gies of  a  rational  being.     As  exercise  is  necessary  to  the 
growth  and  health  of  the  body,  so  is  mental  action  to  the 
s;rowth  and  regular  expansion  of  the   mind  :  and  a  well 
selected  coiwse  of  education,  is  as  important  to  the  matu- 
rity and  usefulness  of  the  latter,  as  the  labors  of  husbandry, 
a  gymnasium,    or  some    corresponding  exercise,   for   the 
strength  and  activity  of  the  former.     Education  is  necessary 
to  direct  and  fix  attention  upon  proper  objects  of  pursuit 
and  contemplation  —  to  correct  and  control  the  will  —  to 
enlighten  and  direct  the  judgment  —  to  chastise  and  guide 
the   imagination,   as  well    as  manage  and    discipline   the 
passions  ;  this  cannot  be  extensively  effected,  by  the  essays 
of  the  moralist,  the  speculations  of  the  philosopher,  or  the 


134  INAUGURAL    ADDRESS. 

appeals  of  the  preacher,  witliout  great  and  continued  efforts; 
whereas,  the  way  is  directly  and  effectively  applained,  by  a 
proper  and  judicious  system  of  education. 

Knowledge  has  immemorially  presented  a  man  in  a  lofty 
and  commanding  aspect;  its  immediate  tendency,  is  to 
enlarge  his  capacity  and  improve  his  character.  Tlie  happy 
and  humanizing  influence  of  letters  upon  the  mind  and 
morals  of  man,  is  matter  of  universal  notoriety  and  consent. 
In  confirmation  of  this,  we  need  only  appeal  to  the  age  of 
Pericles,  Augustus,  and  the  Medicii.  England,  Scotland, 
and  the  United  States,  are  living  and  glowing  examples  of 
its  truth.  Indeed,  we  feel  no  hesitation  in  supposing,  that 
the  arts  and  sciences  contain  within  their  indefinite  ranee, 
the  great  germinating  principles  of  human  melioration ;  by 
the  agen(;y  and  means  of  which,  civilized  life,  domestic 
comfort,  useful  knowledge,  and  moral  principle,  are  to  be 
extensively  diffused  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  We 
find  ourselves  greatly  confirmed  in  this  impression,  from 
the  well  known  fact,  that  almost  every  subject  of  classic 
lore — of  natural  and  moral  science,  is  to  bo  met  with 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures  —  languages,  history,  antiquities, 
chronology,  arts,  philosophy,  biography,  geometry,  sketches 
of  nature  and  character,  geograpliical  delineations  and 
statistical  views — poetry,  epic,  pastoral,  and  elegiac — agri- 
culture, commerce,  architecture,  phenomena  of  earth,  air, 
and  water — botany,  mineralogy,  astronomical  allusions, 
voyages,  travels,  epistles,  graphic  descriptions,  scenery, 
memoirs,  and  tactics  ;  —  and  the  catalogue  raisonnee,  miglit 
easily  be  swelled,  were  it  necessary. — Now  if  these  tilings 
did  not  enter  into  the  ^:»Zarts  of  Providence,  for  the  improve- 
ment of  man,  they  would  doubtless  have  been  excluded 
fi'om  the  Scriptures  of  Truth — containing  ihe  register  of  our 
faith,  and  record  of  our  redemption.  Moral  obligation  stands 
intimately  connected  with  the  happiness  of  man  :  knowledge, 


/ 

INAUGURAL    ADURE6S.  135 

however,  is  necessary,  that  we  may  cherish  a  proper  sense 
of  duty :  —  it  is  the  design  and  business  of  education  to 
impart  this  knowledge,  and  so  promote  the  present  and 
future  well-beino;  of  our  common  nature.  It  will,  therefore, 
follow,  that  every  attainment  in  education,  is  strictly,  a 
religious  acquisition,  and  will  have  a  direct  bearing  iipon 
the  ultimate  destiny  of  man. 

Equally  striking  is  the  influence  of  education  upon  the 
government  and  policy  of  nations,  states  and  kingdoms. 
It  has,  from  the  earliest  dates  of  history,  been  the  policy 
of  despotic  governments,  and  illiberal  establishments,  of 
whatever  kind,  to  prevent  the  free  difiusion  of  knowledge 
among  the  great  mass  of  the  people.  Freedom  of  inquiry, 
and  public  discussion,  have  been  suppressed,  in  some  shape 
or  other,  even  by  legislative  enactment;  and  the  result  has 
been,  ignorance  and  servility  among  the  lower  classes  — 
and  insolence  and  oppression  among  the  higher  inlvilcged 
orders.  No  country  can  be  happy  and  prosperous,  without 
an  intelligent,  enterprising  peasantry  ;  —  universal  history 
evinces  the  truth  of  this  remark ;  and  its  correctness  is 
most  happily  illustrated,  in  the  present  condition  of  Scotland, 
the  Protestant  divisions  of  Switzerland,  and  many  portions  of 
the  United  States.  But  for  the  blessings  —  (we  had  almost 
said,  the  miracles)  of  education,  many  of  the  Northern  States 
of  this  Union,  must  have  been  a  comparative  desolation  :  — 
us  it  is,  the  difficulties  of  soil,  the  want  of  territory,  and  a 
paucity  of  almost  all  the  natural  means  of  individual  com- 
forts and  national  prosperity,  have  yielded  to  the  magic 
influence  of  progressive  improvement.  In  proportion,  there- 
fore, to  the  truth  of  the  maxim — that  every  community, 
in  order  to  happiness,  should  be  wise  and  good  —  and  every 
nation  Or  people  should  be  governed  by  laws  of  their  own 
making,  upon  the  grand  principle  of  representation — is  the 
importance  of  intellectual  culture,  and  general  education. 


136  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

Further,  to  illustrate  our  position,  we  would  select  an 
example  or  two  from  history.  Look  at  the  Goths,  the 
Celts,  the  Scythians,  and  the  Scandinavians  —  an  innumer- 
able horde  of  barbarians,  covering  all  the  north  of  Europe  — 
from  the  Caspian  sea  to  the  Thames.  These  savages  were 
as  rude  and  uncultivated,  as  the  summit  and  declivities  of 
the  Caucasus,  from  whence  they  came.  Nursed  and  reared 
amid  "  cliff's,  and  cataracts,  and  torrents,  and  tempests," 
they  were  the  rudest,  the  boldest,  and  the  most  desperate, 
of  human  beings.  But  after  their  final  settlement  in 
Europe,  then  civilization,  the  arts,  and  the  sciences  are 
introduced  among  them  ;  the  darkness  gradually  retires  ; 
the  ritual  of  murder  and  death,  is  proscribed  ;  the  radiance 
of  hope  and  improvement  dawns  ;  and,  superstition,  uncon- 
sciously dropping  her  "circlet  of  snakes,"  listens  to  the 
soothing  song  of  reason,  religion,  and  truth.  That  these 
effects  of  education  have  been  permanent,  you  will  not 
doubt,  when  history  informs  you,  that  the  persons  we  7iow 
address,  are  the  descendants  of  these  very  barbarians :  — 
and  you  owe  it  to  religion  and  science,  that  you  are  not 
now,  what  your  ancestors  were,  at  the  period  alluded  to  — 
the  slaves  of  savage  passions — the  victims  of  selfishness 
and  terror  :  these  having  been  the  reigning  deities,  or 
rather,  the  "  rival  demons  "  of  the  barbarian  state. 

We  select  Greece  as  another  example. —  The  Pelasgi 
were  the  progenitors  of  the  Greeks.  From  the  most 
savage,  they  became  the  most  polished  nation  of  antiquity. 
This  change  was  eflfected  by  letters  :  and  Greece  was  every- 
where celebrated  as  the  Arcadia  of  the  scientific  world. 
But  the  same  causes  that  wrested  the  Em-pire  of  the  world 
from.  Rome,  removed  its  learning  from  Greece  : — we  mean 
luxury,  idleness,  and  effeminacy.  And  what  has  been  the 
mournful  story  of  Greece,  for  ages  !  Where,  for  centuries, 
until  lately,  were  lier  heroes  and  her  glory  ?     Alas  !  no 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  137 

longer  free  and  happy !  no  longer  "  wedded  to  immortal 
verse  "  —  the  descendants  of  those  who  disputed  for  liberty, 
with  the  millions  of  Persia,  who  "  fell  at  Thermopylae,  and 
triumphed  at  the  Granicus,"  have,  century  after  century, 
been  laboring  under  the  curse  and  scourge  of  Ottoman 
tyranny.  But  thank  God,  a  few  of  the  Isles  of  Greece,  for 
some  time  past,  have  been  under  British  and  moralinfluence  ! 
these  have  communicated  with  the  rest ;  and  the  injured 
Genius  of  long  lost  liberty,  is  rising,  like  the  Phoenix,  from 
the  ashes  of  a  mouldering  desolation,  to  re-assert  its  ancient 
heritage  !  —  and  without  affecting  any  thing  like  prophetic 
foresight,  we  confidently  look  forward  to  the  period,  as 
rapidly  nearing,  when  the  beams  of  science  shall  again 
visit  the  Acropolis,  and  once  more  shed  their  lustre,  on  the 
land  of  Homer  and  Achilles ! 

4th.  Should  the  truth  of  these  remarks  be  controverted, 
a  brief  survey  of  the  history  and  advantages  of  education,  will 
place  the  subject  in  a  more  eligible  point  of  view.  The 
history  of  literature  has  beendivided  into  four  grand  epochs. 

The  first  —  embracing  remote  antiquity,  when  the  study 
of  letters  and  philosophy  was  principally  confined  to  a  few 
scattered  groups  of  Pagan  Priests,  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Euphrates,  the  Ganges,  and  the  Nile.  During  this  period, 
the  cultivation  of  letters  was  exceedingly  limited,  and  a 
single  professorship  in  one  of  our  modern  Universities, 
comprehends  a  wider  range  of  knowledge  than  was  then 
known  to  the  whole  world. 

The  second  era,  commences  with  the  rising  glory  of 
Greece  —  carries  us  on  through  the  whole  of  her  classic 
history,  and  the  most  splendid  epoch  of  Roman  story ;  until 
we  arrive  at  the  overthrow  of  ancient  civilization,  and  weep 
over  the  fall  of  liberty  in  Greece,  and  the  death  of  genius 
in  Rome. —  In  Greece  alone  from  the  days  of  Orpheus  and 
Cadmus,  to  the  time  of  Euclid,  we  have  a  catalogue  of 
VOL.   II — 12. 


138  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

nearly  nine  hundred  persons,  who  had  devoted  their  lives 
exclusively  to  the  arts  and  sciences.  In  Rome,  literature 
flourished  most  successfully,  during  the  dictatorship  of 
Scylla  and  the  reign  of  Augustus. 

The  third  era,  embraces  the  dark  or  middle  ages  —  from 
the  fifth  to  the  fifteenth  centuries,  when  the  human  mind  for 
a  thousand  years  slumbered  in  death-like  inactivity.  During 
this  period  a  star  occasionally  arose,  to  twinkle  amid  the 
general  gloom:  but  "darkness  covered  the  earth  and  thick 
darkness  the  people;"  until,  finally,  the  soul  of  the  noble 
Saxon,  and  others,  was  roused  to  revolt,  and  deprecating 
the  debasement  of  man,  the  ignorance  of  the  times,  and  the 
trammels  of  an  infallible  hierarchy ;  the  world  again  swoz'e 
to  be  free  !  The  struggle  was  long  and  severe,  but  Heaven 
seconded  the  efforts  of  reformation,  and  God  once  more 
said,  at  this  new  creation  "let  there  be  light  and  there  was 
light !  " 

The  fourth  era,  commences  with  the  revival  of  classical 
learning  in  Europe,  and  reaches  down  to  the  present  times. 
— We  say  the  revival  of  learning,  for  dreadful  and  unpre- 
cedented as  were  the  ravages  of  the  Moslems  and  Vandals, 
during  the  dark  ages,  they  did  not  succeed  in  extinguishing 
totally  the  fire  of  Pindar  or  the  spirit  of  Leonidas ;  both 
survive,  and  shall  continue  to  do  so,  "  until  there  be  lost 
in  the  flood  of  age,  each  bard,  and  song,  and  story." 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  in  these  remarks  we  have  only 
been  able  to  take  a  cursory  view  of  the  progress  of  letters 
and  science.  For  want  of  accredited  information  it  will  be 
impossible  for  us  to  do  justice  to  the  literature  of  the 
ancient  Hebrews,  the  Phenicians,  and  the  Egyptians  ;  and 
even  our  sketches  of  Greece  and  Rome  must  necessarily  be 
imperfect.  During  the  age  intervening  between  Herodotus 
and  Demosthenes,  Greece  furnished  a  long  list  of  distin- 
guished competitors,  in  the  various  departments  of  poetry. 


INAUGUEAL    ADDRESS. 


139 


philosophy,  eloquence,  and  ethics.  In  Rome  we  witness  a 
similar  state  of  things,  from  Livius  Andronicus,  down  to 
the  "  old  age  of  Roman  literature ;  "  while  the  middle  ages 
furnish  us  with  a  few  names  and  nations,  by  which  the  love 
of  science  was  more  or  less  cherished,  and  its  invaluable 
treasures  preserved. —  Cassiodorus  Charlemagne,  Sylvester 
II.,  Petrarch,  Boccaccio,  Poggio,  Ambrosio,  and  the  Medi- 
cean  Family,  were  the  principal  preservers  and  restorers 
of  classical  manuscripts, —  and  to  the  vigilance  of  these 
patrons  of  learning,  and  the  laborious  zeal  of  the  monastic 
scriptormm,  in  the  different  periods  of  Italian  history,  we 
are  principally  indebted,  for  the  classic  treasures  of 
antiquity. 

In  order  more  fully,  to  illustrate  the  advantages  of  educa- 
tion, it  may  not  be  improper,  to  notice  the  usual  range  of 
study  and  science,  prescribed  for  the  academic  student ; 
and  the  influence  such  application  will  be  likely  to  have 
upon  life  and  character.  This,  however,  can  only  be  done 
in  a  very  summary  way.  Our  object  is,  simply  to  furnish 
you  with  the  principle,  and  exhibit  a  few  of  the  modes  of 
lis  illustration.     We  begin  with  Language  :  — 

Among  all  the  natural  gifts  of  God  to  man,  language 
stands  pre-eminent.  —  This  remark  extends  not  only  to 
vocal,  or  articulate  language  ;  but  especially,  to  what  is 
denominated  legible  or  written  language. — Without  language, 
we  should  be  ignorant  of  the  world's  eventful  story. — 
Without  it,  we  can  have  no  conception  of  social  happiness — 
knowledge  would  be  confined  to  sensation,  and  man  could 
claim  no  hiaher  distinction  than  that  of  the  brute — the 
wisdom  of  the  past,  would  be  lost  forever;  and  posterity 
would  derive  no  advantages  from  the  consciousness  and 
achievements  of  the  present  generation  —  the  chain  of  cause 
and  effect  would  be  broken  ;  and  the  succession  of  events 
in  the  light  of  history,  dissolved  forever — era  would  have 


140  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

no  connection  with  era,  nor  pole  with  pole — creation  would 
be  without  a  record,  and  man  without  a  guide — unity 
would  be  wrested  from  nature,  and  analogy  from  Provi- 
dence—  all  communion  between  mind  and  mind,  would  be 
limited  to  the  laws  of  instinct — Heaven  and  Earth  would 
be  aliens  ;  and  the  one  would  be  silent  because  the  other 
would  be  dumb  !  But,  possessed,  as  we  are,  of  this 
peculiar  and  distinguishing  advantage,  stability  is  given  to 
the  operations  of  human  intellect — language  is  the  living 
image,  the  speaking  organ,  or  written  instrument  of  the 
mind — our  thoughts  and  purposes,  our  hopes  and  fears, 
our  deeds  and  doings,  receive,  by  means  of  legible  langiiage, 
an  adamantine,  a  time-enduring  existence.  Language  has 
been  very  justly  distinguished,  as  the  Barometer oi  society. — 
From  its  perfection  or  imperfection,  in  different  ages  and 
parts  of  the  world,  we  can  pretty  accurately  judge  of  the 
improvement  or  barbarism  of  the  people.  The  mechanism 
of  language,  is  a  subject  which  does  not  properly  fall  within 
the  province  of  the  present  discourse.  We  may  be  permitted 
however,  to  remark,  in  reference  to  what  are  styled  the  Dead 
Languages,  that  a  competent  knowledge  of  them,  is  highly 
interesting,  and  in  many  instances,  indispensably  needful. 
The  Hebrew,  the  primitive  language  of  man,  the  original 
source,  and  therefore  the  most  ancient,  and  the  most  sacred 
of  all  languages,  deserves  peculiar  attention  as  the  great 
fountain  of  oriental  literature,  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  the  analogy  between  the  English  language  and  the 
Hebrew,  is  greater  than  that  of  either  Greek  or  Latin. — 
We  speak  now  of  the  structure  of  the  languages.  The 
Greek  language  possesses  a  vehemence,  a  terseness,  a 
copiousness,  universally  admired  by  all  competent  judges, 
—  while  the  Latin,  if  no  other  advantages  were  derived 
from  its  study,  serves  as  an  admirable  praxis,  in  forming 
habits  of  close  reflection  and  analytical  investigation,  but 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  141 

in  addition  to  this,  it  admits  oi  a  dignity  of  enunciation  and 
a  loftiness  of  accent,  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  language. 
If  we  may  rely  upon  those  who  have  given  their  lives  to 
the  study  of  these  languages,  there  is  a  vividness,  a 
luxuriance  of  expression  in  them,  not  to  be  found  in  any 
of  the  more  modern  languages  of  the  polyglotic  earth. 
The  French  may  boast  of  its  prettiness  and  harmony  — 
the  Italian  its  delicacy  and  touching  mellowness — the 
English  its  strength  and  well  known  perspicuity  ;  but  the 
overpowering  force  and  enrapturing  swell  of  Isaiah,  of 
Demosthenes,  and  of  Cicero,  are  still  wanting. 

Again,  these  languages  constitute  the  only  genuine  and 
certain  key  to  the  records  of  antiquity,  and  the  learning  of 
past  ages.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  also,  that  it  must  be  a 
source  of  peculiar  gratification  to  the  enlightened  Christian, 
to  be  able  to  trace  the  pages  of  inspiration  in  the  same 
languages  in  which  they  were  originally  given  to  man. 
Many  a  valuable,  laborious,  and  highly  improved  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ,  has  wept  over  the  Hebrew  and  Greek 
Scriptures,  as  a  "sealed  Book,"  and  almost  murmured 
against  Providence,  because  he  was  not  able  to  unlock 
their  sacred  treasures  !  The  melodious  flow  of  the  Greek, 
and  the  chaste  majesty  of  the  Latin,  have  been  the  subject 
of  panegyric,  in  all  ages.  Where  is  the  merely  English 
reader,  who,  in  poring  over  Pope's  Homer,  Murphy's 
Tacitus,  or  Baker's  Livy,  has  not  sighed  to  consult  them 
in  the  immortal  original  ?  Language  is  the  great  vehicle 
of  communication  for  our  ideas.  —  It  furnishes  a  correct 
representation  of  our  conceptions,  as  they  rise  in  the  mind. 
It  is  the  source  —  the  parent  of  conversation  and  of  books ; 
by  the  one,  the  intercourse  of  society  is  kept  up :  by  the 
other,  we  become  acquainted  with  the  records  and  trans- 
actions of  preceding  ages.  By  the  study  of  other  languages 
than  our  own,  we  are  introduced  to  the  wisdom  and  opinions, 


142  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

the  sons  and  the  natives  of  distant  ages  and  countries, 
without  any  other  introduction  or  interpreter,  than  a  know- 
ledge of  the  language  in  which  we  meet  with  the  record. 
And,  moreover,  it  greatly  facilitates  the  study  of  our  own 
language,  by  bringing  etymology  and  analogy  to  the  aid  of 
definition  and  construction — thereby,  aiding  and  strength- 
ening the  laws  of  investigation  —  and  giving  force  and 
compass  to  the  mental  conceptions  of  the  learner,  in  tbe 
gradual  accumulation  of  useful  knowledge.  Nevertheless, 
we  must  be  permitted  to  state,  that  we  deem  classical 
learning  of  less  importance  than  scientific,  should  necessity 
compel  a  choice  between  the  two.  That  a  critical  knowledge 
of  the  learned  languages,  is  absolutely  essential  to  real 
greatness  and  extensive  usefulness,  is  a  position  triumphantly 
refuted,  in  the  history  of  Shakspeare,  Washington,  Franklin, 
Drew,  Arkwright,  and  others.  Classical  attainment, 
however,  is  a  necessary  and  powerful  auxiliary,  in  order 
to  the  formation  and  perfection  of  the  literary  character. 
Milton  has  remarked,  with  his  usual  acuteness,  that  we 
study  the  dead  languages,  *•  for  the  sake  of  the  solid  things 
they  contain." 

We  must  protest  however  against  a  practice  which  we 
fear  is  but  too  prevalent  in  the  institutions  of  this  country. 
We  allude  to  the  negligence  or  oversight,  by  which  so 
many  young  men  retire  from  respectable  seats  of  learning, 
with  some  knowledge  of  the  dead  languages,  but  very 
little  of  their  own,  and  also  the  practice  of  confining  the 
attention  of  the  student,  during  almost  the  entire  of  his 
collegiate  term,  to  a  knowledge  of  past  ages  and  events,  to 
the  shameful  neglect  of  the  present  history  of  the  world 
and  its  passing  occurrences.  It  is  true,  as  Cicero  says, 
that  "not  to  know  what  has  been  transacted  in  former 
times,  is  always  to  remain  a  child." — But  at  the  same 
time,  we  deem  it  important  that  a  knowledge  of  science  and 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  143 

of  life  should  be  mutual  and  correlative  ;  each  should 
support  and  improve  the  other.  Many  heroes  and  giants 
in  literature,  become  contemptible,  because  they  show 
themselves  inexcusably  ignorant  of  what  every  man  ought 
to  know  in  relation  to  the  multifarious  concerns  of  human 
life.  They  may  despise  the  common  herd  of  mankind,  for 
want  of  learning,  but  they  are  themselves  despised  in 
return,  for  want  of  sagacity  and  address,  in  getting  through 
the  world  without  an  affectation  of  privilege  and  consequence, 
Avhich  truth  and  common  sense  should  always  despise  !  We 
would  submit  another  remark  here  ; — superficial  training  is 
usually  the  bane  of  real  merit ;  and  especially  it  contributes 
to  the  damage  of  literature  in  the  estimation  of  unlettered 
common-sense  people. —  We  allude  to  the  multitude  of 
literary  sparks  and  gallants,  with  which  our  world  is  filled; 
men,  whose  parrot-powers  have  enabled  them  to  store  their 
memories,  with  a  few  scraps  of  borrowed  Latin,  and  some 
of  the  technical  verbiage  of  the  schools;  and  who,  therefore, 
endeavor,  by  their  garrulous  prating,  to  make  all  with 
whom  they  have  to  do,  think  them  extremely  wise.  There 
are  others,  who  have  made  it  their  business  to  attend  to 
the  smaller  things  —  the  pegs,  and  knobs,  and  tiles  — 
omitting  things  of  more  importance,  in  the  architecture  of 
language  —  they  devote  themselves  to  the  shadowy  niceties, 
and  attenuated  ^J^'^^^i'^esses  of  style,  as  well  as  to  puerile 
distinctions,  about  the  laws  of  mind,  the  logomachies  of 
science,  and  the  canons  of  criticism  ;  and  seem  forever,  to 
overlook  the  intellectual  reach,  the  imaginative  grasp,  the 
bold  discursion,  and  impulsive  energy  :  without  which, 
there  is,  and  can  be,  no  real  greatness.  It  might  be  useful 
to  suggest  here,  that  it  is  possible  to  make  a  good  use  of 
language,  without,  in  every  instance,  making  a  grammatical 
use  of  it ;  and  a  man  may  be  extensively  acquainted  with 
the  whole  encyclopedia  of  science,  without  having  minutely 


144  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

attended  to  all  the  latent  laws  and  principles  of  systematic 
association.  Few  men  ever  made  a  better  use  of  language, 
than  Dr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Addison,  Dr.  Blair,  and  Sir  Walter 
Scott ;  although  it  is  known,  that  they  have  all,  in  their 
best  productions,  occasionally  fallen  into  violations  of 
syntax  ;  and  yet,  no  one  who  is  not  paid  for  finding  fault, 
would  ever  tliink  of  detracting  from  the  merits  of  these 
distino-uished  benefactors  of  the  Engflish  laniifuaofe. 

Before  we  dismiss  this  subject,  it  is  worthy  of  notice, 
that,  however  estimable  a  knowledfje  of  the  dead  lanscuao-es 
may  be,  it  is  only  subsidiary  to  the  attainment  of  a  good 
education. — We  are  not  to  think  and  converse  in  Greek  and 
Latin  ;  and  no  man  deserves  the  title  of  a  scholar,  without 
being  accurately  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  his  own 
native  language  ;  for  language  is  not  only  the  medium  of 
communication,  but  the  great  instrument  of  thought.  It 
must  be  self-evident  to  every  one,  that  we  think  through 
the  medium  of  lanouage,  as  it  exists  in  the  mind.  In  the 
same  proportion,  therefore,  that  we  cultivate  justness  of 
expression  in  language,  we  facilitate  the  important  work 
and  labor  of  thought  and  reflection.  We  may,  also,  add 
here,  that  in  the  acquisition  of  science  and  general  learning, 
Greece  and  Rome  should  not  be  the  exclusive  models  of 
literary  ambition.  We  would  leave  enough  of  the  leaven 
of  antiquity,  to  prevent  a  distempered  precocity  in  modern 
erudition  ;  but  would  not  admit  so  much  devotion  to  what 
has  been,  as  to  prevent  a  proper  and  extensive  acquaintance 
with  what  now  exists.  We  would,  likewise,  discourage  a 
too  miscellaneous  course  of  application,  as  tending  (as  all 
superfluity  must)  to  mental  debility,  and  often  terminating  in 
intellectual  poverty.  He  who  thinks  he  can  make  himself 
acquainted  with  all  the  bulki/  tomes,  written  and  accessible, 
on  the  subjects  of  history,  antiquities,  government,  religion, 
law,  taste,  criticism,  and  general  philology  —  has  imder- 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS.  146 

taken  a  task,  which  a  life  of  ten  centuries  could  not 
accomplish, —  Much,  therefore,  will  depend  upon  a  jvidi- 
cious  selection  of  standard  elementary  works  on  these 
various  topics,  both  at  school  and  subsequently. 

From  language,  we  proceed  to  the  notice  of  history. 
History  is  necessary  to  a  proper  knowledge  of  man,  and 
acquaintance  with  the  world.  Without  its  aid,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  arrive  at  the  truth  respecting  the  former  periods 
of  the  world  —  and  the  character  and  operations  of  contem- 
porary nations  and  individuals.  History  implies  a  "  Inie 
relation  of  facts  and  events;"  and  such  a  narrative  is 
always  calculated  to  improve  man  —  whether  we  contem- 
plate him  in  a  moral,  political,  or  religious  point  of  view. 
The  details  of  history  inspire  the  ingenuous  mind  with 
the  love  of  virtue,  and  a  hatred  of  vice.  The  student  of 
history  has  examples  of  every  kind  before  him  ;  and  from 
the  connection  invariably  found  to  exist  between  virtue  and 
happiness,  vice  and  misery,  he  is  led  to  the  choice  of  the 
one,  and  tl'.e  rejection  of  the  other.  Of  the  utility  or  folly 
of  political  associations  and  civil  compacts,  we  can  best 
judge  from  history  :  here  everything  has  been  tested  by 
experience  —  and  we  are  disposed  to  profit  by  example. 
Scipio  Africanus  owed  much  of  his  greatness,  to  the  pages 
of  Xenophon  ;  and  the  illustrious  Eugene  was  led  to  the 
creation  of  his  splendid  fortunes,  by  the  study  of  Caesar's 
commentaries.  In  fact,  all  scientific  governments  must 
be  founded  upon  history  :  it  is  the  great  school  of  the 
legislator,  the  politician,  and  the  prince.  The  Republic 
of  Plato,  the  Eutopia  of  More,  and  the  Oceana  of  Har- 
rington, are  shaded  in  disrepute,  when  compared  with  a 
history  of  accredited  fjicts.  Example  is  more  efficacious 
than  precept. —  We  lose  siglit  of  the  lessons  of  Plato  and 
Socrates,  in  admiration  of  the  stern  virtues  of  Aristides 
and  Phocion.  That  history,  on  these  accounts,  is  friendly 
VOL.  n — 13. 


146  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

to  morality  and  devotion,  as  well  as  to  the  general  happiness 
of  man,  requires  no  illustration  —  having  for  its  subjects, 
tlie  dispensations  of  God  and  the  actions  of  men  —  both, 
legitimately,  come  within  the  range  of  religious  feeling 
and  contemplation.  History  is  the  record  of  past  events, 
and  renders  us  familiar  with  the  story  of  tlie  world  —  and 
without  it,  our  knowledge  of  nature,  of  Providence,  and 
of  man,  would  be  exceedingly  deficient :  it  is,  therefore, 
connected  with  the  great  interests  of  religion  and  piety. 
History  bears  the  same  relation  to  ethics,  in  the  department 
of  morality,  that  experiment  does  to  physics,  in  the  Baconian 
philosophy  :  indeed,  all  knowledge  is  useless,  only  as  it 
becomes  subservient  to  morals  and  virtue.  Chronology 
is  essential  to  a  proper  knowledge  of  history  :  it  teaches 
the  regulation  and  comjmtution  of  time,  as  ascertained  and 
defined  by  the  revolutions  of  the  earth  and  moon.  It 
relates,  principally,  to  time  past  —  and  is  concerned  in 
fixing  and  arranging  the  various  events,  which  become  the 
subject  of  history. 

Geograplnj,  as  connected  with,  and  in  some  sense  a  part 
of  history,  should  have  an  early  place  in  the  progress  of 
learning.  Like  history,  it  will  enlarge  the  comprehension 
and  weaken  the  prejudices  of  the  learner  —  it  will  gradually 
lead  him  beyond  the  control  of  sensation,  and  will  prevent 
undue  confidence  in  abstract  speculation.  It  will  always 
be  the  medium  of  important  topics  of  information,  con- 
nected with  general  history,  both  civil  and  natural.  Were 
this  the  place,  we  Avould  respectfully  suggest,  that  the 
study  of  geography,  at  first  should  be  entirely  confined  to 
the  topography  of  the  pupil's  immediate  vicinity,  and  that 
of  his  own  country  ;  gradually  enlarging  the  sphere  of 
geographical  knowledge,  until  the  surface  of  the  globe  be 
embraced  in  a  practical  and  popular  course  of  instruction. 
The  pupil  will  then  be  prepared  to  enter  upon  a  Scientific 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  147 

course  of  geography,  especially  iu  connection  with  latitude 
and  lonuiUide. 

Biography  is  also  important  to  a  proper  knowledge  of 
history.  If  we  would  know  mankind,  we  must  study  Tnan. 
The  best  way  to  know  the  human  heart,  is,  to  study  the 
lives  of  imrticular  men,  in  the  various  relations  of  life. 
Tlie  works  of  Suetonius  and  Plutarch  will  evince  the 
correctness  of  this  remark. 

The  bare  mention  of  Moral  Science,  presents  a  range  of 
remark,  to  which  it  is  impossible  to  do  justice,  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  address.  Philosophy  has  been  defined 
to  be,  a  knowledge  of  nature,  (in  its  largest  sense,)  variously 
applied  to  practical  and  useful  purposes.  This  knowledge, 
when  it  respects  physical  objects,  and  has  reference  to 
matter,  is  styled  natural  philosophy.  When  it  relates  to 
the  nature,  laws,  or  operations  of  mind,  it  is  called  moral 
philosophy,  and  is  divided  into  two  parts,  —  pneumatology, 
comprehending  the  whole  range  of  natural  theology  and 
psychology,  properly  denominated  the  philosophy  of  the 
human  mind.  It  is  the  leoitimate  and  discriminatino- 
province  of  moral  science,  to  analyze  the  springs  of  intellect 
and  action.     It  teaches  the  syntax  of  mind  and  morals. 

Logic,  as  a  branch  of  moral  science,  will  come  in  for  its 
share  of  the  student's  time  and  attention.  It  is  the  impor- 
tant common-sense  art,  reduced  to  proper  system,  of 
forming  just  ideas  and  premises,  and  deducing  from  them, 
natural  and  right  conclusions.  It  treats  of  the  human 
understanding,  and  is  principally  confined  to  perception, 
judgment,  reasoning,  and  method.  Our  remarks,  on  this 
subject,  might  be  extended,  but  we  are  compelled  to  omit 
many  of  the  subdivisions  of  moral  science. 

The  natural  sciences,  are  worthy  of  particular  considera- 
tion. Natural  History  embraces  all  the  infinitely  varied 
forms  of  matter  —  the  surface  and  internal  structure  of  the 


148  INAUGUKAL    ADDRESS.  ^ 

earth  —  tlie  laws  and  phencmena  of  the  ocean  —  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  heavens.  Universal  nature  is  the 
workmanship  of  God,  and  natural  history  is  the  record  of 
his  operations  ;  and  hence  we  perceive  at  once,  what  may 
be  the  moral  influence  of  this  delightful  study.  In  its 
almost  illimitable  range,  natural  history  explores  the  animal, 
the  vegetable,  and  mineral  kingdoms  ;  and  these  again 
present  themselves  in  various  subdivisions,  and  each 
department  is  a  science.  The  business  and  limits  of  the 
life  of  one  man,  forbid  an  acquaintance  with  all  these 
subjects,  but  much  may  be  attained  by  diligence  and 
application,  and  be  successfully  applied  to  the  common 
interests  of  humanity. 

It  is  the  province  of  natural  pJiilosophy,  to  exhibit  the 
causes  of  the  phenomena  of  the  universe,  and  the  laivs  of 
motion,  in  relation  to  all  known  bodies  throughout  nature. 
It  belongs  to  natural  history  to  present  us  with  the  facts 
—  and  natural  philosophy  accowz^^  for  them.  The  former 
treats  of  the  appearances  of  all  natural  bodies,  separately 
considered  —  while  the  latter  discusses  their  properties  and 
mutual  action  upon  each  other.  In  this  department  of 
science,  if  we  would  conquer,  we  must  divide.  Experiment 
and  analysis  are  indispensable. 

Chemistry  has  for  its  object,  to  ascertain  and  determine, 
the  first  principles  —  the  elementary  ingredients  of  which 
all  inatler  is  composed.  The  empire  of  Chemistry,  is  co- 
extensive with  the  kingdom  of  nature,  embracing  all  solids, 
fluids,  gases,  and  ethereal  substances ;  and  in  an  infinite 
variety  of  forms,  is  applied  to  practical  purposes.  It  ascer- 
tains the  specific  properties  of  bodies,  by  analysis  and 
combination  ;  analyzing  them  into  their  constituent  parts, 
and  bringing  to  light  the  mysterious  laws  of  their  combina- 
tion. Chemistiy  extends  to  all  the  forms  and  combinations 
of  physical  nature — rain,  hail,   snow,  dews,   winds,  and 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  149 

waves,  are  all  subjected  to  her  experiments.  Chemistry  is 
especially  essential  to  the  existence  and  success  of  manu- 
factures and  agriculture  —  the  smith,  the  glass-blower,  the 
potter,  the  tanner,  the  dyer,  the  bleacher,  the  farmer,  are 
all  practical  chemists.  The  mechanic  arts,  and  all  the 
modes  of  husbandry,  have  this  grand  science  as  their  basis. 
Its  importance,  therefore,  must  be  obvious  to  the  most 
superficial  observer. 

Botany  will  spread  before  the  disciple  of  Linneus,  the 
whole  kingdom  of  vegetation  —  the  enchanting  dominions 
of  Flora ;  from  the  hyssop  on  the  wall,  to  the  cedar  of 
Lebanon  ;  from  the  attenuated  fibre  of  the  moss,  to  the 
majestic  oak  and  stately  palm.  It  will  display  the  beauty 
and  variety  of  nature,  as  well  as  the  various  uses  for  food, 
for  raiment,  for  comfort,  for  medicine,  and  for  many  of  the 
arts,  to  which  vegetable  productions  are  applied.  It  enables 
us  to  select  the  esculents  of  the  table  —  to  furnish  the 
wardrobe  —  warm  our  apartments,  and  adorn  the  parterre. 
It  also  supplies,  to  a  great  extent,  the  materials  of  the 
chemical  laboratory,  and  the  materia  medica. 

Mineralogy  will  lead  you  below  the  earth's  surface,  into 
mines,  (from  which  the  word  is  derived,)  and  subterranean 
places,  in  search  of  the  rich  materials,  embosomed  beneath 
the  crust  of  the  earth,  embracing  earth  and  stones,  salts, 
inflammables,  and  metals;  all  intended  for  use  and  ornament; 
such  as  iron,  clay,  marble,  gold,  and  diamonds. 

The  Fossil  kingdom  will  also  afford  improving  amusement, 
introducing  the  student  to  the  spoils  of  the  ocean,  and  the 
various  phenomena  of  petrifactions. 

Geology  investigates  and  describes  the  internal  structure 
of  the  earth  —  the  arrangement  of  its  component  materials 
—  the  circumstances  attendant  upon  its  original  organiza- 
tion —  the  successive  states  under  which  it  has  existed,  and 
the  many  changes  to  which  it  has  been  subjected,  since  the 


1  50  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

creation  of  its  primitive  substance.  It  unfolds  the  solid 
structure  of  the  globe  —  it  discovers,  by  what  causes,  its 
several  parts  have  been  arranged,  or  disorganized,  and  from 
what  operations  have  originated  the  general  stratification  of 
its  materials  ;  the  irregularities  of  its  surface,  and  the  vast 
variety  of  bodies  entering  into  its  conformation. 

Astronomy  holds  a  high  rank  among  the  natural  sciences. 
It  treats  of  the  magnitude,  motions,  distance,  arrangement, 
phenomena,  laws,  and  revolutions  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
On  this  subject,  however,  we  deem  it  unimportant  to  enlarge. 

The  Mathematical  sciences  are  worthy  of  peculiar  regard 
in  a  course  of  scientific  instruction.  From  the  days  of 
Thales  to  the  present  time,  the  study  of  mathematics  has 
been  deemed  of  vast  importance  to  the  proper  culture  and 
discipline  of  the  human  mind.  The  denomination  of  this 
science  originally  as  derived  from  the  Greeks,  properly 
denoted  discipline  —  a  system  of  learning,  or  study — any 
organized  method  of  mental  application ;  but  in  its  more 
modern,  and  now  universally  received  acceptation,  it  is 
used  to  distinguish  that  science,  which  contemplates  what- 
ever is  capable  of  being  numbered  or  measured.  The 
popular  division  of  the  science  is  into  arithmetic  and 
geometry:  the  first  having  mimhers  for  its  object  —  the 
second  treating  of  magnitude.  A  more  philosophical  divi- 
sion, however,  is  into  pure  or  speculative  mathematics,  which 
treat  of  abstract  quantity  —  and  mixed  mathematics,  which 
contemplate  magnitude,  as  existing  in  all  physical  bodies. 

The  dignity  and  value  of  mathematical  knowledge, 
have  long  been  out  of  dispute.  It  was  the  first  of  the 
sciences  regularly  reduced  to  order  —  the  first  human  study 
converted  into  a  science.  This  was  efl'ected  by  Euclid, 
Archimedes,  and  Apollonius  —  the  princes  of  ancient  geom- 
etry. This  noble  and  masculine  study,  teaches  us  to 
measure  with  indubitable  certainty,  time,  space,  and  dis- 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  151 

taiice;  it  determines  the  relations,  comparison,  and  ratio  of 
quantities  ;  the  earth's  surface  is  measured,  and  apportioned 
to  its  inliabitants  ;  seas  and  oceans  are  navigated  with  safety 
and  dispatch  ;  and  the  pupil  of  mathematical  science,  is 
seen  wanderino:  amonff  the  stars,  numberinfjc  the  multitude, 
and  reporting  the  dimensions  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  The 
direct  tendency  of  mathematical  study,  is  to  produce  in  the 
mind  a  habit  of  just  conception,  accurate  research,  and 
correct  deduction.  It  induces,  to  a  great  extent,  a  rational 
mode  of  thought  —  and  is  eminently  useful,  in  divesting  the 
mind  of  ambiguity  and  prejudice,  in  all  the  processes  of 
thought  and  inquiry.  But  this  is  not  the  invariable  effect 
of  mathematical  study,  which  principally  directs  our  atten- 
tion to  the  relations  of  figure  and  quantity.  That  it  ig 
extensively  useful  in  promoting  attentive  investigation  and 
correct  reasoning,  is  readily  admitted  and  contended  for ; 
but  should  not,  at  the  same  time,  be  too  much  relied  on,  as 
niecessarily  creating  correct  habits  of  investigation,  in  the 
department  of  philosophical  inquiry.  Some  of  the  best 
mathematicians  on  earth,  have  been  bungling  reasoners  on 
mind  and  morals  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  the 
ablest  metaphysicians,  the  world  has  ever  produced,  have 
been  almost  entirely  ignorant  of  mathematical  science. 

While  this  engaging  study  strengthens  and  exercises  the 
reasoning  faculty,  it  gives  comparatively  little  employment 
to  the  other  intellectual  powers,  in  the  examination  of  moral 
and  probable  truth,  but  unhappily,  too  often,  leads  the 
mind  to  the  admission  of  data,  whose  direct  tendency  is  to 
lead  it  astray,  because  the  distinctive  difference  between 
mathematical  science  and  moral  truth,  is  not  duly  preserved 
and  properly  applied.  Mathematical  science,  therefore, 
can  only  be  looked  upon  as  an  efficient  auxiliary  in  the 
attainment  of  moral  and  philosophical  trutli.  In  point  of 
certainty,  mathematical  science  stands  pre-eminent.     It  not 


152  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

only  demonstrates  a  proposition  to  be  true,  but  proves  its 
contrary  to  be  false  —  this,  in  any  instance,  is  tlie  height 
of  demonstration.  In  one  word,  the  certainty  of  self- 
evidence  attends  this  science  in  every  stage  of  its  progress. 

Polite  literature  and  the  arts,  comprehending  tlie  inter- 
esting topics  of  taste,  criticism,  music,  painting,  poetry, 
sculpture,  agriculture,  commerce,  and  architecture  —  are 
well  worthy  a  niche  in  the  temple  of  science.  It  properly 
belongs  to  the  department  o^  belles-lettres  to  combine  taste, 
beauty  and  elegance,  as  the  contingent  and  accidental 
attributes  of  language. 

Rhetoric  teaches  us  to  use  lanrruage,  so  as  to  combine 
splendor  and  efi'ect  —  and  should  be  studied  in  reference 
to  both  —  especially  the  latter.  It  is,  to  a  great  extent, 
according  to  Longinus  and  Quintillian,  the  Language  of  the 
heart — the  eloquence  of  feeling  —  the  appeal  of  passion, 
regularly  reduced  to  rules  of  art.  It  is  the  language  of 
imagination,  guided  by  judgment  and  taste — warm,  abrupt, 
interjective,  exclamatory  —  full  of  image,  energy,  and  per- 
sonification :  and  these,  as  the  natural  symbols  of  feeling 
and  passion,  make  a  strong  and  lasting  impression. 

We  must,  however,  as  peculiarly  appropriate  on  the 
present  occasion,  confine  our  attention  in  this  place,  prin- 
cipally, to  the  subject  of  agriculture. 

By  Agriculture,  we  understand  the  art  of  causing  the 
earth  to  bring  forth,  in  the  greatest  perfection  and  plenty, 
the  various  kinds  of  vegetable  production,  essential  to  the 
support  and  comfort  of  man.  As  it  is  intended  to  teach 
agri(;ulture  in  this  institution  as  a  science,  and  practically 
exemplify  its  principles  in  the  gardens  and  grounds  attached 
to  the  institution,  for  this  purpose  —  it  will  not  be  improper 
to  offer  you  a  few  remarks  on  this  subject.  It  is  a  subject 
of  acknowledged  importance,  in  every  division  of  the 
civilized  world.     The  culture  of  the  earth,  is  coeval  with 


rNAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  153 

the  existence  of  our  race.  When  man  came  fresh  and 
immortal  from  the  liands  of  his  Creator,  he  was  placed  in 
an  enchanting  well-furnished  garden,  and  the  command  of 
the  Creator  was,  to  "dress  and  keep  it ;"  and  after  the 
fearful  defection  of  man,  the  obligation  to  "  till  the  ground  " 
was  renewed. —  The  appointment  of  Heaven  ordained,  that 
by  the  "  sweat  of  his  brow,"  he  should  cultivate  the  soil, 
and  procure  his  bread  by  a  perpetual  contention  with  the 
"  thorn  and  the  thistle."  The  knowledge  and  the  necessity 
of  primitive  agriculture  survived  the  flood,  and  its  operations 
were  revived  in  the  rural  employments  of  Noah  and  his 
sons.  The  interests  of  husbandry  were  extensively  pursued 
by  Abraham  and  his  descendants  in  Palestine. 

The  Chaldeans,  in  whose  country  agriculture  had  its 
birth  —  and  the  first  man  was  the  first  "  tiller  of  the 
ground  "  —  seem  to  have  carried  the  art  to  great  pei-fection. 
The  Phoenicians  were  proverbially  skillful  and  efficient,  as 
agriculturalists.  The  Athenians  first  introduced  ao-riculture 
into  Greece  ;  and  soon  the  herds  of  savages,  then  infesting 
the  since  illustrious  country  of  Greece,  abandoned  the 
acorn  and  the  root  of  the  wood  and  the  wild,  for  the 
peacefid  and  productive  occupations  of  domestic  husbandry  : 
even  their  kings  finally  encouraged  agriculture,  not  only 
as  ?  laudable  pursuit,  but  as  an  honorable  employment. 
A  .nong  the  ancient  Romans,  the  higliest  honor  they 
attempted  to  confer  on  a  citizen,  was  to  award  to  him  the 
distinction  of  having  a  well  cultivated  farm.  Even  the 
most  renowned  heroes,  warriors,  and  senators,  were  practical 
and  laborious  arrriculturalists. 

During  the  dark  ages,  the  arts  and  uses  of  husbandry 
were  greatly  neglected.  Even  in  England,  but  little 
attention  was  paid  to  agriculture,  until  the  fourteenth 
century.  Agriculture  was  first  reduced  to  something  like 
a   science   in   England,    by   Fitzherbert,   in   the   sixteenth 


154  INAUGURAL    ADDRESS. 

century;  and  has  since  been  gradually  improving  —  until 
the  establishment,  some  thirty  years  ago,  of  the  celebrated 
"  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Internal  Improvement."  To 
this  institution,  the  world  is  indebted,  for  more  than  one 
hundred  volumes  of  the  most  valuable  ao-ricultural  research. 
Great  interest  is  excited,  at  present,  on  this  subject,  in  our 
own  country  ;  and  agriculture  bids  fair,  to  become  the 
most  accessible,  and  best  understood  science,  in  the  whole 
rana'e  of  human  attainment. 

Love  of  country  is  a  natural  and  universal  passion,  and 
no  pursuit  is  so  well  calculated  to  inspire  it,  as  that  of 
agriculture ;  and  in  this  respect  particularly,  it  is  preferable 
to  commerce  ;  the  tendencies  of  which,  especially  foreign 
commerce,  are  directly  the  reverse.  In  any  country  and 
in  every  situation,  agriculture  is  essential  to  the  increase, 
subsistence,  and  happiness  of  man. —  In  all  the  stages  of 
society  it  is  alike  needful  to  its  well  being,  and  accordingly, 
it  has  been  held  in  the  highest  repute  from  the  most 
remote  ages.  Gideon,  the  illustrious  judge  and  warrior 
of  Israel,  was  called  from  the  plow  to  preside  over  the 
Providential  fortunes  of  that  nation.  Cincinnatus,  immor- 
talized by  the  conquest  of  the  Volsci,  forsook  his  plow  to 
lead  the  Roman  armies  to  battle  and  to  victory.  The 
Emperor  of  China  is  seen  at  the  plow  every  sprmg,  anu 
at  the  close  of  each  harvest  the  best  farmer  is  by  him 
created  a  Mandarin.  Our  own  Washington,  whose  name 
shall  be  hallowed  by  the  homage  of  ages,  was  devoted  to 
agriculture  even  to  passion,  and  one  of  his  proudest  dis- 
tinctions was  that  of  a  good  farmer.  Hesiod  has  sung  in 
no  mean  verse  the  "praises  of  the  plow."  Xenophon  in 
his  Economics  has  enlarged  upon  the  importance  of  agri- 
culture, and  Cicero  in  his  Dialogue  on  "old  age,"  has 
done  the  same.  Hartlib,  the  friend  and  correspondent  of 
Milton,  Marshall,  Anderson,  and  Young,  have  all  contributed 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  153 

to  the  revival  of  agriculture,  not  only  iu  England,  but 
throuo-hout  the  world.  Agriculture  is  peculiarly  favorable 
to  freedom  and  independence.  When  Greece  and  Rome 
were  free,  they  Avere  proverbially  an  agricultural  people, 
and  only  ceased  to  be  such  when  tyranny  overspread 
those  countries.  The  glory  of  Italy,  and  especially  the 
fruitfulness  of  the  Camjmgna  di  Roma  departed  with  the 
reio-n  of  despotism,  and  the  golden  fields  of  the  Campania, 
suno-  by  Virgil,  have  long  since,  under  the  blasting  inlluence 
of  oppression,  been  converted  into  swamps  and  morasses. 

The  Israelites  after  their  settlement  in  Canaan,  were  an 
agricultural  people,  and  they  doubled  their  population  every 
twenty-seven  years.  In  the  United  States,  the  most  perfectly 
ao-ricultural  nation  on  earth,  this  is  done  every  twenty-five 
years — while  in  modern  Europe,  if  Adam  Smith  be  correct, 
it  requires  five  hundred  years  to  double  the  number  of 
inhabitants.  Emigration  will  have  a  very  partial  bearing 
upon  this  question,  and  the  great  disparity  is  no  doubt 
chiefly  owing  to  agriculture.  Universal  history  sustains 
the  position  that  whenever  a  nation  becomes  slack,  in  its 
attention  to  the  concerns  of  agriculture,  it  must  be  owing 
in  a  great  measure,  to  the  want  of  a  proper  regard  foi 
freedom  and  independence,  the  tone  of  genuine  patriotic 
feelino-  is  lowered  and  enfeebled.  In  the  Netherlands  where 
agriculture  exists  in  great  perfection,  each  square  mile 
averages  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  inhabitants,  while  in 
Russia  where  agriculture  is  but  little  attended  to,  the  ratio 
is  only  seventeen.  One  fact  in  the  history  of  man  on  which 
we  cannot  forbear  to  insist,  is,  that  no  nation  of  the  eartii 
has  ever  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  civilization  in  the  total 
neglect  of  agriculture. —  They  are  inseparably  connected 
in  the  progress  of  society.  The  importance  of  proper  eftbrc 
to  promote  agriculture,  is  demonstrable  from  the  prevailing 
disinclination  of  mankind  to  attend  to  its  peaceful  but  labi> 


156  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

rious  pursuits.  The  savage  himself  is  unwilling  to  abandon 
the  hunter  state  for  that  of  the  herdsman,  and  finally  that 
of  the  agriculturalist —  while  on  the  other  hand  civilized 
man  has  shown  himself  but  too  prone  to  relapse  into  the 
ease  and  idleness  attendant  upon  the  care  of  his  migratory 
flocks,  and  finally  the  pleasures  and  excitements  of  the 
chase.  As  the  command  of  Heaven  therefore  was  originally 
necessary  to  induce  man  to  cultivate  the  earth,  so  are  the 
efforts  of  the  enlightened  and  philosophic,  now  necessary 
to  keep  up  proper  attention  to  this  most  important  of  all 
human  arts.  The  affinity  between  chemistry  and  agricul- 
ture is  striking,  and  the  principles  of  the  one  should  be 
faithfully  applied  to  the  other.  The  chemist  and  agricul- 
turalist, as  Mr.  Madison  justly  remarks,  are  "  fellow 
students."  Accordingly  agriculture  is  biught  as  a  science 
in  the  Swedish,  Danish,  and  some  of  the  German  Univer- 
sities.  There  is  also  an  agricultural  professorship  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh.  The  propriety  of  an  academic 
course  of  instruction  on  this  subject  is  recommended  by 
Locke,  Milton,  and  Watson  of  LlandafF.  The  celebrated 
Fcllenberg  school,  near  Berne  in  Switzerland,  is  mainly 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  agriculture,  by  its  able  and 
judicious  patron  of  the  same  name.  A  drill-farm  where 
all  the  operations  of  the  field  are  carried  on,  and  practically 
illustrated  in  the  garden,  has  been  found  by  Mr.  Fellenbei-g 
the  most  advantageous  method  of  instruction  in  the  appli- 
cation of  the  principles  of  husbandry.  Commerce,  is  neces- 
sarily precarious  and  fluctuating,  it  is  always  at  the  mercy 
of  the  winds  and  waves  wafting  it  from  shore  to  shore,  it 
necessarily  creates  dependence  and  leads  to  slavery  ;  one 
commercial  nation  is  always  subjected  to  the  caprice, 
extortion,  and  exorbitant  claims  of  anotlier.  Cast  your 
eyes  along  the  streets  of  Antwerp  and  Glient  —  the  grass 
now  waves,  where  three  centuries  ago  the  earth  groaned 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  157 

with  wares,  and  was  thronged  with  merchants.  The  whole 
coast  of  Mauritania,  once  laden  with  the  treasures,  and 
lighted  Willi  the  splendors  of  commerce,  agriculture  and 
the  arts,  is  now  the  haunt  of  tigers  and  the  retreat  of 
pirates.  Bagdad  once  the  mart  of  commerce,  agriculture 
and  the  arts,  is  now  a  desolation.  The  fertile  fields  and 
harvest  plains  of  Fez  and  Morocco,  where  agriculture 
smiled  in  plenty  for  five  centuries,  are  now  deserts  and 
Avastes  of  sand  and  sterility  ;  and  many  other  instances 
might  be  adduced.  Agriculture  therefore, is  the  great  basis 
of  human  subsistence.  It  is  strictly  an  art  of  necessity  —  it 
is  the  only  durable  source  and  foundation  of  power  and 
plenty  ;  and  with  every  intelligent  and  patriotic  people, 
should  have  precedence  of  the  arts  of  convenience  and 
elegance. 

Commerce  has  been  aptly  termed  the  younger  sister, 
always,  in  every  emergency,  looking  to  agriculture  for 
defense  and  supply.  Agriculture  doubly  repays  the  hus- 
bandman. She  yields  him  harvest,  "tliirty,  sixty,  and  an 
hundred  fold  "  —  and  in  the  mean  time,  promotes  health, 
vigor,  and  activity.  Dion  the  historian,  has  recorded  of 
Romulus,  that  the  only  employments  he  left  for  freemen, 
were  agriculture  and  warfare  :  and  throughout  Rome,  at 
this  period,  the  agriculturalist  and  the  soldier,  met  in  the 
same  individual.  Such  was  the  high  repute  in  which 
agriculture  was  held  in  Greece,  that  Varro  enumerates  j^/y 
authors,  who,  in  his  time,  had  written  on  the  subject.  In 
Rome,  it  often  happened,  that  the  same  hand  guided  the 
plow  and  the  helm  of  state,  and  erected  the  standard  of 
her  victorious  legions  !  Regulus,  in  the  midst  of  his 
conquests  in  Africa,  asked  leave  of  the  Roman  Senate,  to 
return  and  cultivate  his  farm,  which  had  been  neglected, 
during  his  absence,  and  attention  to  battle  and  arms.  Cato, 
whom  Pliny  styles  the  best  farmer  of  his  age,  says  '*  those 


158  INAUGURAL    ADDRESS. 

who  exercise  the  art  of  agriculture,  are,  of  all  others,  the 
least  addicted  to  evil  thoughts,"  —  that  is,  less  exposed  to 
temptation.  For,  to  conclude  our  remarks  on  this  subject, 
we  consider  agriculture,  as  the  first  and  most  respectable, 
of  all  the  arts  and  sciences. — It  is  the  principal  profession 
of  mankind  —  the  most  honest,  the  most  useful,  and  the 
most  respectable  secular  profession,  in  the  world. 

Such  is  abrief  outhne — averyimperfectsurvey,of  aliberal 
course  of  study  —  and  such  the  advantages  resulting  from  it. 

Liberty  has  always  been  dependent  on  intelligence.  Igno- 
rant rulers  seldom  fail  to  be  tyrants.  The  iisual  resort  of 
those  who  fail  to  produce  co?ivtc^40W,  is  to  oj^press  and  punish. 
Freedom  duly  balanced  and  properly  regulated,  has  no 
bulwark,  except  in  the  intelligence  of  the  people  :  and  all 
history  informs  us,  that  political  and  religious  melioration, 
must  result  from  the  same  source. 

"  Knowledge  is  power." — It  gave  liberty  to  Greece,  and 
glory  to  Rome  :  and  their  return  to  barbarism,  was  owing, 
in  a  ffreat  measure,  to  the  manner  in  which  their  love  of 
wealth  and  pleasure,  superseded  that  of  Letters.  England, 
Germany,  and  France,  owe  their  comparatively  late  improve- 
ments, and  partial  regeneration,  to  the  same  and  kindred 
causes. — The  principle,  however,  is  most  happily  illustrated, 
in  the  history  of  the  United  States.  But  without  entering 
into  detail  in  relation  to  this  or  other  countries,  we  would 
remark,  that  it  is  of  the  very  nature,  and  properly  belongs 
to  the  o-enius  of  Protestantism,  as  well  as  the  civil  institu- 
tions of  our  country,  to  impart  knowledge  to  every  class 
of  society  —  to  diffuse  it  through  the  great  mass  of  the 
people.  All  our  established  maxims  of  legislation  and 
jurisprudence,  concede  the  right  of  private  judgment  and 
liberty  of  conscience  ;  and  hence  the  importance  of  inform- 
inc^  the  mind  of  the  multitude,  and  promoting  intellectual 
in  view  of  moral  culture. 


rNAUG  URAL  ADDRESS.  159 

Visit  tlie  classic,  but  profaned  ruins  of  Athens  and 
Rome — and  ask  the  genius  of  the  place,  or  the  page  of 
history,  where  is  the  freedom  immortalized  by  the  Philip- 
pics of  Demosthenes,  and  the  orations  of  Cicero  ?  And  the 
one  and  the  other  will  answer  —  knowledge  departed,  and 
liberty  was  exiled  !  Polished  Greece,  therefore,  and  impe- 
rial Rome,  owed  their  distinction  to  Letters.  And  what  is 
it  knowledge  cannot  achieve  ?  —  It  has  transformed  the 
ocean  into  the  highway  of  nations. —  Steam,  fire,  wind, 
and  wave,  all  minister  to  the  comforts  and  elegancies  of 
life.  The  cold  and  insensible  marble  speaks  and  breathes. — 
The  pencil  of  Raphael  gives  body  and  soul  to  color,  light, 
and  shade.  —  The  magnet,  the  mysterious  polarity  of  the 
loadstone,  conducts  man  over  the  bosom  of  the  deep,  to  the 
islands  of  the  sea  —  while  the  glass  introduces  him  to  the 
heavens,  and  kindles  his  devotion,  amid  the  grandeur  of  a 
thousand  worlds  ! 

Splendid  indeed  are  the  effects,  that  the  names  and 
productions  of  a  few  individuals,  have  realized  to  their 
cotemporaries  and  posterity.  Instance  Moses,  Homer, 
Euclid,  Columbus,  Luther,  Bacon,  and  Newton.  The  first 
of  these  alone,  has  furnished  incalculable  millions  with  the 
only  authentic  history  of  the  world  for  twenty-three  hundred 
years.  The  second,  astonishingly  exemplifies  the  eflect  of 
learning  ;  the  power  of  letters  —  possessed  of  unbounded 
invention,  the  Epic  splendor  of  his  works  has  never  been 
equaled  :  to  surpass  their  beauty  and  sublimity  would  be 
impossible.  Although  he  details  the  fall  of  thousands  in 
battle,  no  two  of  his  heroes  are  wounded  in  the  same 
manner.  His  arrow  is  ever  impatient  to  be  on  the  wing  — 
and  his  weapon  always  thirsts  for  blood.  Every  sentence 
is  composed  of  living  words,  and  teems  with  life  and  action  ! 
Poets,  philosophers,  legislators,  historians,  actors,  and  heroes, 
have  literally  been  created  by  the  sovereignty  of  genius,  and 


160  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

the  power  of  invention,  in  the  history  of  a  solitary  individual. 
From  him,  Sparta  and  Macedon  derived  the  love  of  glory, 
and  of  war ;  and  from  him,  Athens  and  Egypt  selected  the 
models  of  learning  and  poetry.  In  him  the  historian  sought 
his  guide  —  the  philosopher  his  defense,  the  poet  his  fire, 
the  critic  his  rules — and  the  hero  his  tactics:  and  had 
Homer  never  sung,  therefore,  the  republic  of  letters  would 
have  been  deprived  of  much  that  is  valuable  in  literature. 
What  should  we  have  known  of  the  siege  of  Troy,  and  the 
wanderings  of  Ulysses.  The  third  produced  a  work,  on 
the  essential  elements  of  Geometry,  tAvo  thousand  years 
ago,  which  was  never  bent  to  the  innovations  or  improve- 
ments of  any  succeeding  age  :  but  to  the  present  day, 
stands  unrivaled,  as  a  work  of  superior  merit  and  unpre- 
cedented perfection. 

The  discoveries  resulting  from  the  nautical  skill  and 
daring  adventure  of  Columbus,  have  issued  in  the  happi- 
ness of  past,  present,  and  unborn  millions.  The  labors  of 
Luther  and  his  coadjutors  under  God,  led  to  the  emancipa- 
tion of  religion  and  science,  from  the  accursed  toils  of 
Ignorance  and  superstition  througliout  the  world.  The 
Verulamian,  or  Baconian  Philosophy  dissipated  the  imper- 
vious mist  of  intellectual  darkness,  which  had  hovered  over 
the  nations  for  ages.  While  the  Newtonian  System,  laying 
bare  the  phenomena  of  the  universe,  in  the  discovery  of 
the  principle  of  universal  gravitation,  and  the  composition 
of  light,  reclaimed  our  isolated  planet  from  its  unnatural 
expatriation,  and  gave  it  its  proper  rank  and  station  in  the 
great  family  of  surrounding  worlds  ! 

It  will  be  perceived  that  what  we  mainly  insist  upon  in 
this  address,  is  the  value  of  learning,  of  various  learning, 
in  the  formation  of  character,  and  its  importance  in  order 
to  the  individual  happiness  of  man,  as  well  as  the  beneficial 
bearing  it  has  upon  the  character  and  prosperity  of  com- 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS.  161 

munities  and  nations.  Its  obvious  and  almost  tinfailincf 
tendency  ia  to  enrich  the  mind,  refine  the  taste,  and  improve 
the  heart.  It  renders  communities  happy  and  nations 
invincible.  Had  Carthage  loved  letters  in  proportion  to 
her  ambition  for  wealth,  Rome  had  never  been  her  historian; 
and  she  might  have  vied  with  her  conquerors  on  the  page 
of  immortality,  if  indeed  she  had  ever  been  conquered. 
Look  at  Spain,  once  as  learned,  and  until  Charles  V.,  as 
free  as  any  of  the  nations  of  Europe  ;  what  were  the  causes 
that  contributed  to  her  degradation  ?  They  were  evidently 
moral  causes  — ■  implicit  submission  and  passive  obedience 
to  the  Roman  See,  and  civil  despotism,  led  to  a  relapse  into 
all  her  ancient  ignorance  and  servility.  Science  and  peace 
and  plenty  no  longer  adorn  the  plains  of  Castile  and  Arra- 
gon,  and  the  classic  glory  of  Sierra  Morena,of  the  Pyrrenees 
and  the  Asturias  has  long  since  departed !  What  has 
become  of  the  renowned  universities  of  Cufa  and  Bassoro  ? 
Oppression  banished  knowledge,  and  they  are  buried  in 
the  grave  of  years  !  Bagdad  and  Cordova  were  once  the 
brightest  spots  in  Saracenic  story,  the  flourishing  seats 
of  Arabian  literature,  but  their  sun  has  set  for  af^es,  in 
the  cheerless  gloom  of  Mohammedan  barbarity  and  savage 
debasement.  Where  now  are  the  fundamental  resources  of 
individual  comfort  and  social  grandeur  —  the  plenitude  and 
the  polish  of  means  and  morals,  enclosed  within  the  walls 
of  ancient  Byzantium,  as  they  rose  to  heaven,  and  bid  defi- 
ance to  the  world  upon  the  Thracian  coast  of  the  Propontis 
—  the  first  city  on  earth  dedicated  and  appropriated  to  the 
service  and  furtherance  of  the  Christian  religion  ?  Alas  ! 
they  have  all  found  a  grave  in  the  living  sepulchre  of  modern 
Constantinople ! 

Let  memory  for  a  moment  sketch  the  desolate  map  of 
Greece.  Where  now  are  the  walks  of  Genius  and  the 
retreats  of  the  Muses,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Illisus,  and 

VOL.   II — 14. 


162  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

the  Argora  of  Athens  ?  Where  is  the  Grove  of  Plato,  the 
Lyceum  of  Aristotle,  and  the  Porch  of  Zeno  ?  We  have 
to  repeat,  alas  !  Greece  is  no  longer  the  theater  of  learning, 
and  Athens  is  only  endeared  to  us  as  the  Alma  mater  of  the 
literary  world  ! 

The  influence  of  Education  upon  political  society  has 
been  forcibly  exemplified  in  all  ages  —  inform  the  mind  of 
the  multitude,  and  they  will  have  discernment  to  discover 
their  real  and  best  interests ;  and  their  own  welfare  and 
patriotic  feelings  will  prompt  them  to  seek  the  good  of  their 
country.  But  when  they  are  ignorant  and  liable  to  be 
misled  by  every  political  ignis  fatuus,  they,  always,  inva- 
riably, become  the  dupes  of  misguided  zeal,  and  the  property 
of  unprincipled  demagogues. 

We  proceed  to  notice,  the  i^resent  liros'pects  of  Literature 
throughout  the  world.  These  fully  justify  the  estimate  we 
have  placed  upon  its  value.  The  prevalence,  to  an  unpre- 
cedented extent,  of  the  useful  arts  throughout  the  civilized 
world,  and  their  recent  introduction  among  scores  of  savage 
nations,  strongly  evince  the  cultivation  and  growth  of  science. 
For  the  sciences  are  properly  the  basis  of  the  arts,  although 
in  some  instances  the  arts  precede  them  in  the  order  of  time, 
and  lead  to  their  discovery.  If  we  go  back  to  the  origin, 
the  genesis  of  scientific  knowledge,  and  trace  its  varied 
progress  amid  all  its  fluctuating  fortunes,  we  shall  be  aston- 
ished at  its  present  extent  and  perfection.  The  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  the  ardor  of  research  are  abroad  in  the  earth; 
former  discoveries  are  improved  upon,  and  new  paths  and 
fields  are  explorijig  —  each  generation  is  more  active  and 
inquisitive  than  its  predecessor,  and  the  splendid  march  of 
mind  bids  fair  greatly  to  lessen  the  sum  of  human  evil,  and 
meliorate  the  condition  of  the  human  race.  The  wide 
diffusion  of  knowledge  is  the  characteristic  of  the  ao-e. 
The  aspects  of  the  moral  world  indicate  with  encourao-ino- 


INAUGURAL    ADDRKSS,  ♦  163 

distinctness,  that  a  new  and  nobler  era  in  the  progress  of 
knowledge,  is  opening-  upon  mankind.  We  apply  this 
remark  with  peculiar  pride,  to  our  own  country.  The 
literary  character  of  the  United  States  is  rapidly  improving, 
its  eastern  and  northern  sections  are  vieing  with  Europe  in 
the  erection  and  endowment  of  colleges  and  universities  ; 
and  science  even  in  the  valley  of  the  West  can  boast  her 
schools  and  scholars,  where  but  a  half  century  ago,  unvis- 
ited  by  the  foot  of  civilized  man,  the  silence  of  the  unbroken 
wilderness,  was  only  disturbed  by  the  scream  of  the  panther 
and  the  yell  of  the  savage. 

And  we  feel  a  daring  consciousness  —  an  almost  pro- 
phetic persuasion,  that  should  we  add  to  an  indulgence  in 
the  lofty  aims  of  an  imperishable  ambition,  corresponding 
vigor  and  skill  of  effort,  this  country  is  destined,  at  no 
distant  period,  to  rise  and  take  its  stand  among  the  lettered 
nations  of  the  old  world.  Religion  and  science  are,  already, 
taught  in  one  hundred  and  forty  difierent  dialects  :  — hand 
in  hand,  united  in  immortal  wedlock,  they  are  everywhere 
extending  their  empire,  and  multiplying  their  votaries. 
The  collective  mind  of  universal  man,  seems  to  have  cauo-ht 

o 

the  "classic  contagion" — and  it  is  difl'using  itself,  with 
epidemic  energy,  over  sea  and  land.  We  are  aware,  how- 
ever, that  the  progress  of  knowledge  will  be  opposed. 
Ignorance,  tyranny,  and  tyrants,  have  always  been  opposed 
to  light  and  knowledge  :  and  as  Caligula  wished  to  destroy 
the  works  of  Homer,  Livy,  and  Virgil,  so  have  tliese, 
whether  in  church  or  in  state,  aimed  at  the  defeat  of  every 
essay,  calculated  to  inspire  a  love  of  liberty,  equality,  and 
virtue.  It  is,  indeed,  to  be  regretted,  that  even  in  this  ao-e 
of  moral  illumination  and  virtuous  chivalry,  there  are  the 
incurious  and  the  careless,  who  take  no  interest  in  the  im- 
provement and  march  of  mind  —  and  whose  only  pleasure 
pppears  to  be  derived  from  an  ignorance  of  duty.     Swayed 


164  INAUGURAL    ADDRESS. 

in  the  lower  ranks  of  society,  by  a  love  of  things  present, 
and  in  the  higher,  by  the  mania  of  property,  if  they  can 
only  "eat,  drink,  and  be  merry" — if  they  can  hoard 
wealtli,  count  the  miser's  gains,  and  revel  in  luxury,  it  is 
all  they  care  for.  These  haters  of  knowledge  —  these 
contemners  of  wisdom  —  these  drudges  of  avarice  and 
cupidity,  at  once  the  curse  and  the  nuisance  of  society, 
coiud  have  seen  at  Alexandria  and  at  Rome,  without  emo- 
tion or  a  tear,  the  long  regretted  monuments  of  genius  and 
glory,  perish  in  the  flames  !  "  Away  with  your  learning!" 
is  an  argument  with  which  we  are  met  on  every  side. 
And  this  language  of  Mecca — this  motto  of  the  Vatican, 
comes  from  an  American,  a  Christian,  the  father  of  a 
group  of  children,  flanking  his  door  and  yard,  some  of 
whom  will  probably  go  from  the  gallows  to  the  bar  of  God, 
or  rot  in  the  penitentiary  cells  of  their  country,  for  the  want 
of  that  education,  which  the  meanness  of  an  unnatural 
father,  has  murderously  withheld  from  the  "  children  of 
his  own  bowels  !" 

In  proportion,  therefore,  to  the  love  you  bear  your  chil- 
dren —  in  proportion  to  the  ardor  with  which  you  long  for 
their  happiness  —  by  how  much  you  desire  them  to  live 
respectably  and  usefully,  and  hand  their  names  down  to 
posterity,  as  worthy  the  brotherhood  of  man  —  by  so  much 
will  you  endeavor  by  day  and  by  night,  and  by  all  the 
means  in  your  power,  to  furnish  their  youthful  and  elastic 
minds,  with  the  fundamental  principles  of  a  good  education 
—  of  virtue,  morality,  and  religion.  In  this  event,  natural 
talent  will  evolve  —  the  intellectual  faculties  and  moral 
powers,  rooted  in  nature  and  cherished  by  art,  will  be 
brought  into  successful  and  beneficial  action.  If  it  be 
asked,  then,  why  we  contend  for  education,  and  how  we 
account  for  its  present  rapid  and  increasing  diffusion  —  we 
answer  —  because  it  is  essential  to  human  happiness — it 


INAUGURAt.   ADDRESS.  166 

is  the  declared  will  of  God  —  and  is  destined,  in  many 
important  points  of  view,  to  harbinger  the  promised  era,  the 
concluding  epoch  of  the  world  —  when  the  splendid  objects 
of  education  and  religion,  shall,  everywhere,  be  realized 
to  man. 

A  thousand  physical  and  moral  causes,  are  now  in  suc- 
cessful operation,  to  produce  these  grand  results  :  and  the 
intellectual  topographer,  in  casting  his  eye  over  the  face  of 
the  earth,  can  already  see,  that  the  first  and  fondest  feelings 
of  the  human  heart,  in  every  civilized  nation,  are  co-opera- 
tinc:  with  the  desi"'ns  and  arrans^ements  of  Providence,  in 
the  accomplishment  of  Heaven's  beneficient  and  unfolding 
purposes  to  man.  The  history,  even  of  our  own  times, 
has  demonstrated,  that  the  telescope  is  a  more  powerful 
weapon  than  the  cannon  —  and  that  knowledge  is  more 
triumphant  than  arms,  in  the  conquest  of  human  pride  and 
passion.  The  observations  of  the  philosopher,  as  well  as 
the  notices  of  Scripture,  unite  in  giving  assurance  to  man, 
that  the  ultimate  regeneration  of  his  race,  will  depend  upon 
the  operation  of  principles,  too  sublime  and  heavenly  in 
their  nature  and  origin,  to  derive  any  lustre  from  the 
"Altar  of  Hannibal,  or  the  victor  standard  of  Scipio  Afri- 
canus!"  It  would  seem,  however,  that  in  the  moral 
government  of  the  world,  owing  to  the  wickedness  of  man- 
kind, chastisement  is,  occasionally,  in  providential  demand ; 
and  sometimes  the  God  of  heaven  employs  the  evils  of  war, 
as  a  rod  of  correction  to  the  human  family.  War,  there- 
fore, with  all  its  horrors,  may  be  good,  as  an  instrument 
and  scourr/e,  in  the  hand  of  God  —  viewed  in  any  other 
light,  it  is  to  be  deprecated  as  a  universal  curse,  and  when 
the  purposes  of  this  world's  chastisement,  shall  have  been 
effected  by  it,  it  shall  subside  forever. 

Let  freedom  and  science,^  virtue  and  religion,  continue 
their  march  ;  let  the  deep-rooted  and  fondly-cherished  prin- 


166  INAUGtJRAL   ADDRESS. 

ciples  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  continue  to  flourish  in 
this  country,  in  the  South  American  Republics,  in  England, 
in  the  German  Empire,  and  in  Greece  —  and  the  time  is 
not  very  far  remote,  when  these  and  the  opposmg  elements 
of  ignorance  and  despotism,  will  meet  in  some  decisive 
struggle,  or  a  succession  of  them,  and  the  conflict  will  be 
like  the  meeting  of  adverse  comets —  the  shock  will  convulse 
the  world  ;  but  it  will  prepare  the  way  for  its  regeneration,  at 
the  same  time  ■ — and  the  fearful  elemental  strife,  will  termi- 
nate in  the  consummation  of  the  wishes  of  philanthropy 
and  the  hopes  of  religion  ! 

Of  the  tinion  of  science  and  religion,  we  have,  perhaps, 
already,  said  enough.  It  is  the  design  of  the  one  and  the 
other,  to  improve  the  condition  of  man,  and  further  his 
happiness.  Science  will  impart  more  enlarged  views,  of  the 
nature,  character,  and  operations  of  the  Deity.  The  vast, 
the  stupendous  whole  of  his  creation,  will  be  presented  to 
the  eye  of  the  observer —  and  tlie  varieties  of  the  universe, 
will,  impressively,  adumbrate  the  grandeur  and  the  resources 
of  the  great  Father  of  all.  The  laws  and  phenomena  of 
nature,  unfold  to  the  eye  of  science,  the  constant  agency 
of  the  Creator  —  and  present  us  with  a  thousand  proofs,  of 
our  entire  dependence  upon  his  superior  power.  Science, 
by  spreading  out  before  us,  the  unbounded  range  of  being, 
afibrds  us  a  corresponding  survey  of  the  Empire  of  Jehovah  ; 
and  without  a  knowledge  of  the  extent  of  His  dominions,  it 
is  impossible,  rightly,  to  conceive  of  His  character  and 
claims.  Science  successfully  enlarges  our  views  of  the 
plans  and  operations  of  Providence  —  past,  present,  and  to 
come  —  in  relation  to  the  physical  and  moral  concerns  of 
the  world.  It  produces  an  expansion  of  mind,  a  liberality 
of  sentiment,  a  generousness  of  feeling,  seldom  to  be  met 
with  in  any  other  connection  —  in  reference  to  the  works 
and  ways  of  God,  and  the  opinions  and  actions  of  men.     It 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  167 

induces  modesty  of  understanding,  humility  of  heart  — 
furnishes  powerful  motives  to  piety,  and  leads  to  the  love 
and  contemplation  of  the  Creator,  a  knowledge  of  whom 
and  whose  works,  constitutes  the  soul  and  sum  of  science. 
The  well-instructed  pupil  of  religion  and  science,  walks 
abroad  upon  the  earth  ;  he  surveys  the  works  and  the 
wonders  of  created  and  uncreated  nature  :  God  is  in  all, 
and  all  in  God  ;  and  he  listens  to  the  lessons  of  virtue  and 
piety,  published  by  the  all-subduing  spectacle  —  the  blended 
voice  of  confederated  worlds  !  Such,  therefore,  is  the 
tranquil  grandeur  of  a  well-educated  mind  :  the  whole 
store-house  of  knowledge  lies  at  the  feet  of  the  Christian 
philosopher  —  and  the  fundamental  resources  of  the  human 
understanding,  are  ever  ready  to  relieve  and  supply  him, 
in  every  emergence.  He  must,  and  will,  in  common  with 
others,  be  subject  to  the  ordinary  and  allotted  evils  of  life  — 
the  ills  and  depressions  incident  to  humanity  ;  from  these, 
virtue,  itself,  pleads  no  exemption  ;  for  even,  "  The  Eoliaii 
harp,  that  Heaven's  pure  breezes  fill,  must  breathe,  at  times, 
a  melancholy  strain."  But  in  every  vicissitude  of  weal  or 
of  woe,  he  stands  like  ocean's  rock,  breasting  the  rage  of 
the  billow,  and  the  wrath  of  the  sky  —  secure  in  the 
possession  of  a  good,  worthy  indeed  of  the  Giver  —  which 
earth,  elements,  and  fortune,  are  as  unable  to  destroy  as 
they  were  originally  to  bestow  ! 

A  few  concluding  remarks,  and  we  have  done.  Of  our 
infant  seminary,  it  becomes  us  to  speak  with  modesty, 
although  authorized  to  indulge  in  the  language  of  hope. 
As  it  respects  the  character  of  Madison  college,  called,  by 
permission  after  the  venerable  Ex-President  Madison,  of 
Virginia  ;  and  the  i>rinciples  upon  which  it  is  established, 
we  have  to  remark,  that  it  is  purely  and  exclusively,  a 
literary  institution  ;  we  do  not,  we  will  not,  compound  with 
anything  sectarian  or  selfish.     It  is  true,  the  institution  has 


168  INAUGURAL   ADDRESS. 

been  established  under  the  patrq^ge  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Annual  Conference,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ; 
and  to  that  enterprising  body,  as  well  as  to  other  sources, 
we  look  for  fiscal  and  other  aid  ;  but  as  the  authorized  agent 
and  representative  of  that  body,  I  am  instructed  to  pledge 
their  public  faith,  that  the  only  object  we  have  in  view,  is 
to  promote  the  interests  of  religion  and  science,  upon  broad 
and  liberal  principles,  and  upon  a  plan,  excluding  all  local, 
sectional,  or  party  interests.  With  regard  to  the  course  of 
study,  and  method  of  instruction,  adopted  in  this  institu- 
tion, the  necessity  of  detail,  is,  in  a  gi'eat measure,  superseded, 
by  the  publication  of  the  laws  of  the  college,  in  which  is 
contained  an  outline  of  the  system  of  education  intended  to 
be  pursued.  Our  observations,  therefore,  will  be  general, 
and  of  a  miscellaneous  character. 

In  conducting  this  seminary,  we  shall  adopt  no  hackneyed 
original  —  we  shall  endeavor  to  disabuse  education  of  some 
of  its  errors  and  defects  —  we  shall  scrupulously  avail  our- 
selves of  the  best  ancient  models  of  instruction,  as  well  as 
the  most  judicious  modern  improvements.  Some  of  our 
maxims,  not  usual  in  the  literary  institutions  of  this  country, 
have  been  taken  from  the  Fallenberg,  and  some  from  the 
Pestallozian  schools  of  Switzerland. 

Ours  is  properly  the  inductive — the  analytic  system  ;  for 
we  deem  it  a  desideratum  in  the  history  of  education,  that 
some  plan  be  adopted  by  the  teacher,  for  the  purpose  of 
rendering  the  processes  of  education  throughout,  an  i7itel' 
lectual  labor,  and  not  a  bare  effort  of  memory  and  imitation, 
without  reflection  and  analysis.  The  use  of  words  without 
proper  inquiry  into  their  meaning,  is  worse  than  absolute 
ignorance,  for  it  burdens  the  mind  and  memory  with  ware's 
Avhich  cannot  possibly  be  of  any  service  to  the  learner. 

In  the  art  of  instruction,  simplicity  of  plan  and  perspicuity 
of  style,  are  of  great  importance.     Nothing  can  be  more 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS.  169 

detrimental  to  correct  habits  of  thinking,  than  the  "gothic 
jargon"  of  indefinite  technicalities,  too  often  employed  by 
the  scientific  teacher,  wlttiout  sense  or  meaning  ;  and  it  often 
happens  that  the  pupil  is  longer  ascertaining  the  significa- 
tion of  a  single  harharotis  term,  than  he  would  have  been 
in  mastering  the  whole  connection  in  which  it  is  found,  had 
it  been  presented  in  the  language  and  livery  of  common 
sense.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  supposing,  that,  were  the 
sciences  disburdened  of  their  present  unnatural  and  super- 
fluous nomenclature,  they  would  be  learned  much  more 
readily  and  in  nearly  half  the  time.  This  remark  applies 
with  peculiar  force,  to  almost  all  the  natural  sciences.  The 
evils  of  which  we  complain,  lead  moreover,  in  but  too 
many  instances,  to  pedantry  and  affectation  in  the  teacher, 
and  to  superficial  smartness  and  quackery  in  his  pupils. 
Sensible  teachers  charged  with  the  instruction  of  youth  in 
the  present  state  of  literature,  will  avoid  this  evil  in  the  best 
way  they  can.  The  maxim  oi  Lavoisier  is  a  good  one  :  — 
"  Let  the  word  produce  the  idea,  and  the  idea  be  a  picture 
of  the/ad."  "  lAQiXii  first  and  then  words,"  says  Rousseau, 
or  rather,  in  the  intellectual  creations  of  education,  the 
Avord  and  the  idea  should  co-exist  in  the  mind. — We  mean, 
without  any  sensible  interval  in  the  order  of  time.  If  some 
method  of  study  and  instruction  could  be  adopted  in  our 
schools,  by  which  a  thorough  knowledge  of  valuable 
learning  could  be  compassed,  and  at  the  same  time  abridge 
the  ordinary  drudgery  of  protracted  voluminous  reading 
and  application,  a  great  part  of  which,  in  many  departments 
of  learning,  is  to  little  or  no  purpose,  it  would  certainly 
be  desirable.  This,  however,  appears  to  be  impracticable 
in  the  present  stage  of  systematic  education  ;  and  it  remains, 
therefore,  for  those  who  are  entrusted  with  the  instruction 
of  youth,  to  conduct  them  by  as  direct  methods  as  possible, 
to  the  attainment  of  the  great  objects  contemplated  in  a 

VOL.   II — 16. 


170  INAUGURAt.  ADDRESS. 

classical  liberal  education.  Even  in  the  incipient  stages  of 
educalion.,  the  young  student  should  be  taught  to  weigh 
and  estimate  as  he  proceeds,  and  attend,  at  least,  to  some 
extent,  to  the  structure  and  anatomy  of  language,  however 
plain  and  simple  in  its  forms.  No  student,  in  our  judgment, 
should  be  put  to  learning  the  dead  languages,  without  some 
acquaintance  with  his  own  ;  nor  should  the  grammar  of  any 
language  be  systematically  attempted,  until  the  pupil  can 
read  it  fluently,  and  has  some  knowledge  of  its  meaning  and 
general  structure.  At  a  subsequent  period,  the  pupil  will 
much  more  readily  acquire  a  critical  knowledge  of  gram- 
matical construction,  and  will  be  infinitely  more  apt  to  retain 
this  knowledge,  than  if  acquired  at  an  earlier  period.  We 
lav  it  doAvn  therefore,  as  a  maxim  in  education,  i\va.taffeneral 
knowledge  of  language,  ought  always  io irrecede  grammatical 
analysis.  Meanwhile  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  either  by 
the  teacher  or  the  student,  that  even  what  is  called  a  liberal 
education,  is  not  intended  to  perfect  the  learner  in  the  acqui- 
sition either  of  the  languages  or  the  sciences,  but  only  to 
prepare  him  to  instruct  himself,  and  finish  his  education 
subsequently. 

On  the  subject  of  discipline  and  incentives  to  industry  a.\\6. 
good  order  in  this  Institution,  we  submit  one  general  remark. 

In  those  Institutions  where  proper  attention  is  not  paid 
to  discipline,  and  where  instruction  is  not  imparted  with 
delight  and  vigor,  instead  of  an  effective  seminary  of 
learninff,  we  are  usually  presented  with  an  infirmary  of 
sickly  and  debilitated  minds,  without  any  encouraging 
marks  of  intellectual  culture  and  unfolding  genius.  The 
mind,  like  the  body,  requires  vigor  of  discipline,  in  order 
to  proper  expansion  —  both  are  slow  at  arriving  at  maturity, 
and  rapid  in  their  decays,  unless  properly  managed.  In 
this  Instiiulion,  Ave  intend  to  govern  hy  fixed  laws,  knov/n 
to,  and  subscribed  by  the  students,  at  the  lime  of  raatiicu 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  171 

lating.  In  the  administration  of  these  laws,  we  shall  be 
uniform  and  impanial;  and  we  feel  confident  that  authority, 
influence  and  courtesy  combined,  will  secure  the  aft'ection 
and  iidelitv  of  the  students.  We  intend  to  avoid  extremes. 
It  is  not  our  design  to  introduce  the  "pungent  girdle"  of 
Paschal,  but  we  shall  early  and  duly  apprize  our  students 
that  they  do  not  enter  here,  nor  shall  they  remain  here,  to 
play  and  sin  !  Believing  that  education  is  important ;  that 
its  claims  arc  paramount;  that  it  tends  greatly  to  increase 
the  sum  of  useful  enjoyment ;  persuaded  that  the  masters 
of  education  should  lead  instead  oi  following  the  minds  of 
those  entrusted  to  their  care,  it  shall  be  our  aim  and  business 
to  create,  as  far  as  possible,  an  insatiable  thirst  for  mental 
accumulation,  in  all  the  progressive  stages  of  liberal  study. 

As  it  respects  economy,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  say, 
that  thoughtless  expenditure  is  the  ruin  of  literary  institu- 
tions. We  have,  therefore,  resolved  upon  reducing  it  to 
its  minimum — and  we  shall  make  our  means  extend  as  far, 
and  accomplish  as  much,  as  possible.  We  recommend  that 
this  maxim  be  most  scrupulously  adhered  to,  in  the  fiscal 
manao'ement  of  the  colle^'e. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  —  To  you,  as  the 
corporation  of  Madison  College,  we  naturally  look  with 
confidence  and  peculiar  solicitude.  Upon  your  wisdom, 
prudence,  and  management,  the  success  of  the  institution 
mainly  depends.  Having  every  assurance  of  your  disposi- 
tion and  ability,  to  govern  this  infant  seat  of  learning 
judiciously,  and  render  it  respectable  in  the  judgment  of 
your  cotemporaries,  and  in  the  estimation  of  posterity — 
we  can  only  tender  you  our  thanks — ask  your  assistance, 
and  bid  you  "  God  speed." 

To  the  gentlemen  of  the  Faculty  —  Upon  whom  will 
de\olve  more  immediately,  the  details  of  collegiate  instruc* 
tion  —  we    need   not   name   our   expectations.       Of    you, 


172  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

gentlemen,  it  will  be  expected,  that  you  watch  over  the 
morals,  and  budding  genius,  of  those  committed  to  your 
charge  —  as  Aurelia  did,  over  the  infant  years  of  Julius 
Csesar,  or  as  the  mother  of  the  Gracchii,  watched  over  the 
juvenile  hours  of  her  illustrious  sons.  To  those  who  have 
presented  themselves,  on  this  occasion,  as  the  Students  of 
Madison  college,  we  cannot  refrain  from  ofl'ering  a  few 
remarks. 

Young  Gentlemen  —  We  shall  expect  from  you,  sobriety 
and  decorum,  on  all  occasions.  We  shall  also  expect  in  you 
all,  a  love  of  learning.  In  order  to  this,  diligence  will  be 
essential ;  and  a  well  chosen  application  of  your  time,  will 
be  imperiously  necessary.  The  circle  of  fashionable  levity 
and  dissipation,  must  be  avoided  ;  or  you  will  occupy  the 
back -ground,  among  your  fellows,  in  academic  attainments ; 
and  the  finger  of  public  scorn,  will  be  pointed  at  you,  as 
college  loungers,  as  literary  sluggards,  as  students  of  idle 
habits  and  dwarfish  intellect.  Let  not  these  things  be  said 
of  you  —  of  any  who  are,  hereafter,  to  be  known  as  the 
alumni  of  Madison  College.  Let  the  jjresent  be  with  you 
the  rival  of  the  future.  Time  hastens  on  rapid  wing,  and 
soon  your  hours  are  numbered  forever.  Occupy  your 
moments,  therefore,  as  they  fly  —  and  prepare  yourselves 
for  usefulness  and  for  immortality  !  Education,  you  will 
find,  to  be  a  self-rewarding  toil.  You  will  be  introduced 
to  the  great  and  the  good,  of  every  age  and  every  clime. 
Some  portions  of  your  study,  will  fill  you  with  the  love  of 
virtue — and  other  portions,  will  teach  you  to  abhor  vice, 
as  the  ruin  of  your  best  interests,  and  the  overthrow  of 
your  fairest  prospects. 

Among  the  classics  you  will  be  called  upon  to  study,  in 
this  institution,  are  Ovid,  Virgil,  Livy,  Cicero,  Horace, 
Lucian,  Sallust,  Homer,  Terrence,  Tacitus,  Quintillian, 
Longinus,  Demosthenes,  Herodotus,  Xenophon,  and  Thu- 


INATTGUBAL   ADDRESS.  173 

cydides  —  the  most  approved  classics  of  Grecian  and 
Roman  antiquity  —  ordinarily  used  in  modern  seminaries. 
The  exceptionable  parts  of  the  works  of  these  celebrated 
models  of  taste  and  composition,  will  be  carefully  excluded  ; 
but  you  will  find  much  to  admire,  and  much  that  is  worthy 
of  imitation.  Even  here,  you  may  wander  with  Homer, 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Simois  and  the  Scamander  —  you 
may  gaze  on  the  beautiful  Helen,  and  enraged  Achilles  — 
the  chiefs  of  Greece  and  Troy,  will  engage  in  mortal  com- 
bat, before  you  —  and  you  will  dissolve  in  tears,  at  the 
meeting  of  Hector  and  Andromache.  Herodotus  will 
introduce  you  to  the  millions  of  barbarians,  following  the 
standard  of  Xerxes.  The  brave  Leonidas,  and  his  Spartan 
band,  will  dispute  the  passage  of  Thermopylee,  before  your 
eyes. —  Victory  will  disgrace  Persia,  and  defeat  bring  glory 
to  Greece  !  Horace  and  Virgil  will  introduce  you  to  the 
Palatine  and  Capitolium  of  Rome  ;  they  will  conduct  you 
along  the  banks  of  the  Po,  adorned  on  either  side,  by  the 
meadows  of  Mantua  —  and  you  shall  regale  and  delight 
yourselves,  amid  the  enchanting  groves  of  Umbria  !  Go 
on,  then,  young  gentlemen,  and  seek  a  deserved  and  well 
merited  celebrity  ;  and  if  you  cannot  reach  the  summit  of 
Parnassus,  linger  at  its  foot,  and  imbibe  the  streams  of 
knowledge  and  science  as  they  gurgle  by  ! 

On  the  subject  of  local  facilities  connected  with  this 
College,  much  might  be  said,  but  the  information  is  acces- 
sible elsewhere.  We  are  aware,  that  distant  only  about 
fifty  miles,  there  are  three  other  respectable  Institutions,  in 
many  respects  of  kindred  character  with  oiir  own. — And 
long  may  they  be  sustained,  and  crowded  with  the  aspiring- 
youth  of  our  country  !  There  is  one  advantage,  however, 
attending  a  reasonable  multiplication  of  colleges.  The 
localities  of  habit,  of  association,  of  prejudice,  and  of 
neighborhood,  will  always  bring  students  to  one  institution, 


174  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

who  would  never  go  or  be  sent  to  another.  By  multiplying 
our  schools,  a  larger  number  of  the  youth  of  the  country 
will  be  educated ;  and  if  they  be  educated,  and  toell  edu- 
cated, we  care  not  where,  or  by  Avhom.  The  members  of 
the  corporation  of  this  institution,  have  been  selected  from 
four  difterent  states. —  There  are  some  of  them  resident  in 
this  state,  and  some  reside  in  the  states  of  Virginia,  Mary- 
land, and  Ohio. 

The  agricultural  department  is  exciting  considerable 
interest,  and  students  have  already  entered  at  the  distance 
of  several  hundred  miles.  No  section  of  the  United  States 
is  more  healthy,  and  the  country  all  around  is  proverbially 
fine  and  picturesque.  Even  the  site  selected,  affords 
facilities  of  no  ordinary  kind  ;  and  should  the  principle  of 
association  lead  any  of  you  at  this  moment,  to  reflect  upon 
the  Tuscidan  villas  of  classic  memory  —  the  Academy,  the 
Lyceum,  the  Alban  mount,  the  gardens  of  Sallust,  or  even 
the  babbling  rill  that  used  to  soothe  the  ear  of  Cicero,  after 
the  toils  of  the  forum  —  that  same  principle  will  direct 
your  attention  here,  to  the  mountain,  the  vale,  the  plain,  the 
heavens,  "  and  the  wild  cascade  with  echo  undefined." — 
In  a  word,  with  scenery,  all  of  whose  diversities  are  classic. 

And  here,  amid  the  cheerfulness  of  country,  solitude, 
and  village  comfort,  the  student  Avill  find  himself  shut  in 
with  his  book  and  his  study  —  surrounded  by  a  plain, 
sensible,  and  unpretending  population,  devoted  principally 
to  the  interests  of  agriculture  and  manufactures.  He  will 
have  but  little  to  tempt  him  from  the  duties  and  studies 
assigned  him.  And  like  the  young  Agricola  at  Massilia,  he 
can  happily  blendin  the  language  of  Tacitus,  "the  refinements 
of  Greece  with  the  sober  manners  of  provincial  economy." 

Hei-e,  then,  may  science  come  and  fix  her  throne  —  and 
long  may  it  be  thronged  with  ardent  and  aspiring  votaries ! 
And  as  the  muses  once  communed  with  the  Aschraen  shep- 


INAUGURAL    ADDRESS.  176 

herd,  upon  mount  Helicon,  so  may  they  come  and  commune 
with  the  youth  destined  to  be  instructed  here  ! 

Friends  and  patrons  of  Madison  College  —  Let  religion, 
virtue,  freedom,  and  literature,  be  our  motto.  Religion 
shall  always  have  our  fond  and  first  regards. —  To  virtue, 
let  us  consecrate  the  hours  of  our  being.  Let  the  princi- 
ples and  institutions  of  religious,  civil,  and  social  freedom, 
duly  balanced  and  rightly  proportioned,  be  cherished  by 
vigorous  effort,  and  the  plenitude  of  our  resources  ;  Tvhile 
literature  shall  extend  its  mild  and  improving  influence, 
over  all  the  hours  and  movements  of  our  existence !  Thus 
we  shall  descend  to  our  graves  in  peace,  conscious  that  we 
have  contributed  to  the  best  means  and  methods  of  human 
happiness,  and  that  long  before  posterity  shall  realize  the 
final  evolution  of  the  plans  of  Providence,  in  relation  to 
our  fallen  world,  the  beacon  fires  we  have  attempted  to 
kindle,  in  our  humble  spheres  of  action,  will  everywhere  be 
lighted  up  upon  the  continents  of  the  earth,  and  the  islands 
of  the  ocean,  and  shall  diffuse  their  rich  and  mingled 
radiance  over  the  vast  map  of  the  nations  1 


GLANCE 


AT   TH£ 


Natural  Jmkq  m\h  '§\llmi^\iu  ^f  ^^xMim. 


AS   INDICATING  ITS   PROBABLE  INFLUENCE  UPON  THE  DESTINIES  OF  THB 

HUMAN    RACE. 


Address  before  the  State  Agricultural  Sociyty  of  Kentucky, 
JANUARY  9,  1843, 


glgritultttral   ^iritrr^s. 


Wb  cannot  repress  the  feeling  that  the  difficulty  and 
danger  of  the  attempt,  well  nigh  poise  the  honor  of  address- 
ing you  on  this  occasion.  Without  the  accuracy  of  science 
appropriate  to  the  subject  on  the  one  hand,  or  the  aid  of 
practical  skill  on  the  other,  how,  in  a  formal  discourse,  can 
theory  and  practice  be  so  blended  and  attempered,  as  to 
instruct  and  interest  the  kind  of  audience  we  have  before 
us  ?  The  subject  on  which  we  address  you,  must  be 
regarded  as  in  a  state  of  transition.  Heretofore,  a  practical 
art  only,  it  is  beginning  to  assume  the  shape  and  defini- 
tiveness  of  a  science.  The  process  of  formation,  however, 
is  not  completed.  The  scientific  men  agree  in  their  data, 
and  practical  men  divide  upon  the  application  of  data. 
The  most  we  can  do,  therefore,  under  the  circumstances, 
will  be  to  offer  you,  what  we  consider  as  most  important 
in  science,  and  available  in  practice,  trusting  that  the 
various  elements,  facts,  and  relations  of  the  general  subject, 
will  soon  be  found  in  a  state  of  arrangement  and  collocation, 
giving  to  the  subject  the  exactitude  and  certainty  of  scientific 
and  practical  demonstration. 

The  present  is  distinguished  by  great  effort  and  activity : 
the  future  promises  still  more  ;  and  we  have  strong  confi- 
dence, that  the  result  suggested  will  be  fully  realized  at  no 

distant  day.     It  is  an  interesting  and  hopeful  characteristic 

17a 


180  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS, 

of  modern  times,  and  modern  improvement,  that  in  efforts 
to  diffuse  science  and  advance  art,  and  thus  multiply  the 
elements  and  extend  tlie  range  of  human  v/elfare,  individuals 
unite  in  large  numbers  and  influential  masses,  upon  a  plan 
sufficiently  extensive  and  significant  to  represent  the  intel- 
ligence and  views  of  entire  communities.  The  existence 
of  such  associations  furnishes  the  most  conclusive  proof  of 
their  importance,  and  may  also  be  received  as  pi-oof  of  the 
extent  to  which  they  contribute  to  the  objects  of  their 
formation.  In  this  way,  new  and  increased  interest  is 
given  to  effort  and  enterprise ;  and  an  influence  often 
exerted,  the  effects  of  which,  may  be  prolonged  for  ages. — 
An  influence  affecting  not  merely  the  common  interests 
and  current  pursuits  of  humanity,  but  giving  character  to 
its  higher  social  and  moral  destinies. 

One  who  knew  well  the  value  of  what  he  said,  has 
remarked,  that  "it  cannot  be  an  unbecoming  trial,  at  any 
i'lme,  and  in  any  way,  to  improve  the  useful  arts."  Agri- 
culture had  existed  for  ages  as  an  art,  before  it  was 
subjected  to  any  thing  like  scientific  arrangement.  Viewed 
as  a  science,  it  is  but  a  collection  of  general  truths  and 
principles,  deduced  from  an  accurate  and  extended  exami- 
nation of  numerous  collated  f:icts,  selected  from  all  countries, 
and  during  many  centuries. —  Tlie  result,  in  fact,  of  the 
enlarged  and  careful  experience  of  ages  and  nations.  It  is 
not  so  much  a  science,  as  the  application  of  many  sciences; 
—  a  group  of  arts  applied  in  subsidizing  the  powers  of 
nature  to  the  service  of  man. 

As  in  the  instance  of  the  application  of  all  science  and 
art,  so  in  agriculture  especially,  the  hoxo  must  be  deduced 
from  the  why :  and  this  renders  an  appeal  to  the  natural 
history  and  philosophy  of  agriculture,  indispensable  to  a 
proper  understanding  of  the  subject.  Allow  us  to  hope, 
therefore,  that  it  will  not  be  unacceptable  to  you,  to  look 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS,  181 

at  the  subject  in  some  of  its  more  enlarged  extrinsic 
relations,  before  we  approach  it,  in  view  of  those  tangible 
forms  and  practical  relations,  giving  it  the  character  of  a 
business  pecuniary  interest.  We  delight  to  uplift  the  eye 
and  gaze  on  the  splendid  scenery  of  the  heavens.  Intense 
is  the  intellectual  gratification,  as  the  mind  essays  to  grasp 
and  adjust  the  admirable  mechanism!  —  the  elaborate 
architecture,  so  impressively  displayed  in  the  grand  structure 
of  the  planetary  system,  and  grander  extensions  of  the 
stellar  universe !  How  infinitely  does  such  a  survey 
enhance  our  conceptions  of  the  grandeur  of  nature  —  the 
majesty  of  creation  !  Adequate  knowledge  of  the  subject 
leads  us  to  regard  our  firmament,  with  all  its  imposing 
vastness,  as  but  one  of  unnumbered  clusters,  of  kindred 
magnitude  and  interest,  constituting  the  appropriate  field, 
and  furnishing  the  only  limitude  of  astronomical  discovery! 
Whenever  we  thus,  by  a  glance  or  more  extended  obser- 
vation, chart  the  heavens,  engirting  our  planet,  and  of 
which  it  is  a  part,  although  not  included  in  the  survey,  the 
interest  felt  is  as  vivid  as  it  is  varied.  When,  however,  in 
addition  to  this,  we  proceed  to  contemplate  the  laws  and 
relations,  —  the  structural  organic  purposes,  and  especially 
the  complicate  and  expansive  arrangements,  by  which  the 
destinies  of  the  worlds  of  astronomy  are  planned  ajul 
circumscribed,  the  very  sublimity  of  the  conception, 
exhausts  the  vigor  projecting  it,  and  leaves  the  mind  weary 
and  bewildered,  amid  the  reigning  order  and  adjusted 
relationships,  —  the  discoveries  enriching  the  science,  and 
unrolling  the  wonders  of  the  mighty,  the  stupendous 
organization  ! 

Looking  upon  this  grand  cortege  of  unresting  worlds, 
wheeling  through  space,  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  their 
respective  centers, —  reflecting  upon  their  exactitude  of 
structure  and  vastness  of  extent, —  the  majestic  march  of 


182  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

the  visible  firmament,  from  change  to  change  and  phase 
to  phase  ;  —  in  a  word,  the  grandeur  and  statistics  of  the 
heavens  —  these,  so  viewed,  not  only  strike  and  astonish, 
but  give  birth  alike  to  curious  conjecture  and  lofty  concep- 
tion !  And,  returning,  what  is  the  perspective  below  and 
about  ?  What,  of  the  one  of  many  planets,  which  God  has 
made  our  home  and  habitation  ?  Are  we  oblitred  to  make 
it  a  mere  observatory, —  the  gate  only  of  the  august  temple 
of  the  universe,  and  look  away  beyond  for  scenes  and  dis- 
plays of  beauty  and  magnificence  !  Is  it  true,  that  our 
earth  is  a  section  of  the  heavens, —  that  it  belongs  to  the 
grand  unity  we  have  been  considering  ?  As  one  of  them, 
has  it  existed  in  companionship  with  the  stars  of  God, — 
the  hosts  of  heaven,  since  the  great  genesis  of  creation  ! 
If  so,  can  it  want  attraction?  While  speculation  and  dis- 
covery are  intent  upon  the  detection  and  proof  of 
established  analogies  between  other  planets  and  the  earth, 
extending  this  analogy  to  structure,  constituent  parts, 
motion,  surface,  atmosphere,  general  physical  phenomena, 
and  even  sentient  tribes,  is  there  either  truth  or  poetry,  in 
the  seeming  supposition  of  many,  that  our  planet  is  2^oor  in 
objects  of  interest  and  attraction  ?  Is  all  on  earth  little  and 
evanescent  ?  With  the  small  and  the  fleeting,  have  we 
not,  side  by  side,  and  mingling  in  endless  interlacement, 
the  grand  and  the  enduring  ?  Is  there  any  want  of  the 
massive  and  mighty,  in  magnitude  and  extension  ?  En- 
grossed as  you  may  occasionally  be,  amid  the  revelations 
of  the  telescope,  and  the  infinitudes  of  space,  returning  to 
earth,  is  there  really  any  want  of  the  sublime  in  aspect,  or 
the  beautiful  in  form  ?  Is  nature  about  you  at  fault  in 
furnishing  the  complicate  in  structure  —  the  admirable  in 
mechanism  ?  Crowded  and  teeming  as  it  is,  with  organi-' 
zation,  life,  and  intelligence, —  its  localities  instinct  with 
vegetable,   animal,  and  rational   life,  who    can  walk  this 


AUBICULTUKAL  ADDRESS.  183 

beauteous  earth,  and  mark  its  varied,  constituent,  visible, 
and  sensible  phenomena,  without  feelings  very  different 
from  those  with  which  we  gaze  upon  the  far-off  orbs  of  sky 
and  space  ? 

It  will,  perhaps,  be  in  place  to  extend  the  view  of  the 
subject  we  propose,  so  as  to  present  the  general  topic  in 
some  additional  aspects.  Reflect  then,  for  a  moment  further, 
upon  the  astronomical  relations  of  our  globe.  Take  the 
material  constitution  of  the  earth — all  its  various  products, 
the  characteristics  of  its  living  tribes,  as  also,  its  more  dis- 
tinctive influences,  with  regard  to  all  organized  entities, 
and  it  will  be  found  that  they  all  result,  in  greater  or  less 
degree,  from  the  presence  and  supply  of  solar  light.  How 
such  supply  is  connected  with  the  annual  succession  of  the 
seasons,  and  the  regular  vicissitudes  of  day  and  night,  in 
view  of  the  planetary  arrangements  to  which  we  have  ad- 
verted, preventing  oppressive  excess  on  the  one  hand,  and 
deficient  supply  on  the  other,  you  need  not  be  told.  Such 
allusion  to  the  cosmical  arrangements  of  our  planetary 
system  is  not  uncalled  for,  as  these  arrangements  confess- 
edly influence  nearly  all  terrestrial  phenomena,  especially, 
the  growth  and  functions  of  plants  and  animals.  The  phe- 
nomena OT  the  whole  vegetable  world,  (for  instance)  are 
conformed  to,  and  regulated  by  the  revolution  of  the  earth 
around  the  sun.  The  well-known  periodicity  of  habit,  on 
the  part  of  trees,  shrubs,  plants  and  flowers,  depends  essen- 
tially upon  the  seasons,  as  controlled  by  the  celestial 
arrangements  in  question.  All  the  cycles  of  vegetable  life 
are  regulated  in  this  way.  The  vegetable  year  is  con- 
formed to  the  solar  year.  Our  day,  too,  measured  by  the 
earth's  revolution  upon  its  own  axis,  is  an  astronomical 
arrangement,  vitally  affecting  the  life  and  growth,  both  of 
plants  and  animals ;  and  they  have  diurnal  cycles, 
functions,  and  changes,  exactly  corresponding.     There  is 


184  AGRICULTTJRAL   ADDRESS. 

a  perfect  coincidence  between  the  adjustments  of  inert 
matter,  and  organic  structures.  Even  the  dimensions  of  the 
solar  system  are  adapted  to  the  laws  and  wants  of  vegetable 
life.  The  physiology  of  the  daisy  and  snow-drop  is  inti- 
mately connected  with  astronomical  laws  and  relations. 
Lifeless,  is  everjTvhere  adapted  to  living  nature  : —  the 
inorganic,  to  the  organic  world.  The  planetary  structure 
itself,  to  the  powers  and  wants  of  the  vegetable  and  animal 
tribes  of  earth. 

Look  at  the  vital  forces  of  the  organic  world,  the  entire 
vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms,  they  bear  direct,  exact 
proportion  to  the  force  of  gravity,  which  is  again  regulated, 
in  the  whole  range  of  its  influence,  by  the  mass  of  the 
earth.  The  power  of  propulsion,  or  mechanical  force,  which 
propels  the  sap  of  the  vegetable  and  tree,  b}''  a  pumping 
hydraulic  process,  sometimes  to  the  height  of  two  hundred 
feet,  is  indeed  surprising,  as  it  evinces  a  singular  adjustment 
between  this  organic  force,  and  the  law  of  gravitation,  as 
opposed  to  the  result.  You  may  cut  off  a  luxuriant  grape 
vine  at  the  proper  season  of  the  year,  and  attach  to  the 
truncated  part,  a  small  tube,  (it  may  be  glass,  and  twenty, 
or  even  forty  feet  in  length,  if  we  will,)  and  such  is  the 
vital,  vegetative  power  of  the  vine,  it  will  force  the  sap  to 
the  top  of  the  tube  ;  thus  showing  incontestably,  that  the 
forces  of  vegetable  life  have  been  mathematically  adjusted 
to  the  power  of  gravitation,  as  determined  by  the  mass  of 
the  whole  earth.  Who  would  suppose  that  the  jasmin,  or 
honeysuckle,  imbibes  moisture  and  nutritive  power  at  the 
roots,  and  then  propels  the  sap  to  the  topmost  branches  and 
leaves,  in  a  way  not  only  assuming,  but  by  a  singnilar 
dynomic  adaptation,  actually  measuring  the  exact  force  of 
gravitation  ?  In  like  manner,  the  organic  structures,  and 
muscular  adaptations  of  animals,  are  adjusted  with  unerring 
exactitude,  to  the  force  of  gravity,  as  in  the  instance  of 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  185 

vegetable  organisms.  The  same  adjustment  obtains  between 
the  crops  of  your  fields,  the  vegetables  and  flowers  of  your 
gardens,  and  the  size  of  the  ocean.  Vegetjition,  you  know, 
depends  in  great  measure,  upon  climate,  atmospheric  con- 
ditions, the  variations  of  weather,  as  wet  and  dry,  and 
kindred  vicissitudes  of  season  ;  and  of  these,  to  a  very  great 
extent  at  least,  the  ocean  is  the  grand  regulator. 

Upon  the  ocean,  by  means  of  evaporation,  depend  rains, 
and  dews,  and  moisture.  Were  the  ocean  greatly  less  or 
larger,  the  increase  of  dryness  and  heat,  or  dampness  and 
cold,  would  destroy  vegetable  growth  and  supply,  almost 
entirely.  The  same  is  also  true  of  the  bulk,  or  amount  of 
the  atmosphere.  Assume  its  size  or  amount  to  be  doubled, 
the  pressure,  winds,  and  tempests  of  the  atmosphere,  would 
utterly  destroy  vegetation,  as  now  organized  and  supported. 
These  organized  adaptations  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  cor- 
responding with  the  organic  adjustments  to  which  we  have 
asked  attention,  are  indeed  surprising,  and  well  worth  a 
preliminary  thought,  in  any  essay  to  understand  the  phi- 
losophy of  the  earth's  culture,  in  view  of  the  support  of  its 
numerous  animal  tribes,  dependent  upon  such  culture. 
Without,  at  least,  adverting  to  the  laws  and  mechanism  of 
the  planetary  system,  any  idea  or  impression  we  might  have, 
with  regard  to  the  nature  and  phenomena  of  terrestrial 
physics,  would  be  partial  and  defective.  The  subjective,  as 
it  regards  the  structure  and  relations  of  our  planet,  is  in 
exact  correspondence  with  the  objective,  —  the  laws  and 
arrangements  of  the  more  general  system,  of  which  it  is  a 
part.  If  it  can  be  rationally  demonstrated,  that  in  all  the 
widely  extended  generalities  of  universal  nature,  the  stability, 
order,  and  harmony  of  our  world,  have  been  consulted,  and 
that  the  sustentation  and  welfare  ofits  livins:  ortcanizations, 
and  more  especially,  the  well-being  and  pre-eminence  of 

man,  in  action  and  enjoyment,  have  been  duly  provided  for, 
VOL.   II — 16. 


/' 


186  AGUICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

it  will  give  to  man  a  tranquillity  of  hope,  an  invigoration  of 
confidence,  in  connection  with  his  earthly  destiny,  not  likely 
to  result  from  any  other  view  of  the  subject  he  can  take. 
It  has  long  been  the  wont,  both  of  philosophy  and  religion, 
to  undervalue  man's  place  in  the  universe,  as  either  unworthy 
of  him,  or  a  punitive  arrangement  on  account  of  his  sins. 
Utterly  dissenting  from  all  such  views,  and  believing  man 
should  more  frequently  place  in  review  before  him,  his 
orio'inal  destiny  and  primeval  relations,  as  a  sovereign  of  the 
earth,  by  Divine  appointment,  and  which  appointment  placed 
him  there,  for  the  purpose,  among  others,  of  asserting  his 
dio-nity  and  dominion,  in  ministering  to  his  own  wants  and 
gratification,  by  the  cultivation  and  adornment  of  earth,  we 
have  deemed  it  proper  to  make  these  suggestions.  And 
cannot  such  views  be  taken  without  presuming  to  place  the 
contents  and  garniture  of  earth  in  rivalry  with  the  spheres 
and  amplitudes  of  celestial  scenery  ?  Let  the  majesty  of 
creation  appear  in  these  mightier  masses,  let  them  stand  as 
the  synonyme  of  unapproachable  infinitude  !  Still,  can  you 
even  olance  at  the  planetary  relations  of  our  globe,  and 
especially,  the  constitution  of  the  earth's  surface,  the  ocean 
and  atmosphere,  with  their  tribes  and  tenants,  their  adjust- 
ments and  adaptations,  without  being  struck  with  the  beauty 
of  design  and  beneficence  of  purpose,  so  manifest  through- 
out the  grand  frame-work  and  architecture  of  the  whole  ? 
Who  does  not  perceive  the  effective  harmony  of  adjustment 
between  the  greater  and  the  less,  the  higher  and  the  lower; 
and  perceive  also,  at  the  same  time,  that  while  the  former 
challenges  the  admiration  of  thought,  the  latter  secures  the 
devotion  of  feeling  ?  We  admire,  with  rapt  wonder,  the 
structure,  masses,  and  phenomena  of  the  heavens.  The 
vision  is  indeed  impressive,  but  it  is  a  vision  in  which 
distance  and  immensity  awe  and  repel.  Not  so,  when  we 
return  to  earth,  (but  too  truly)  the  home  of  our  hearts  and 


AGRICULTURAL   ADDRESS.  187 

our  hopes,  —  the  theater  of  interest  and  endearment.  Her 
forms  of  beauty  and  grandeur,  thronging  on  the  eye,  are 
loved  with  a  child's  affection.  Ever,  and  everyv/here,  her 
voice  is  busy  in  the  heart.  With  the  earth,  man  feels  a 
community  of  nature,  not  only  as  in  proximity  and  relation 
with  it, — springing  from  it,  and  returning  to  it,  but  because 
it  is  only  by  means  of  the  earth,  he  is  introduced  to  an 
acquaintance  with  the  other  divisions  of  the  universe.  It 
is  his  birth-scene  and  homestead,  and  has  about  it  a  natal 
charm  and  guardian  sanctity.  It  is  felt  to  be  the  common 
inheritance  of  his  kind.  He  is  sustained  by  the  feeling  of 
right  and  possession.  Nature  about  him  smiles  in  beauty, 
and  burdened  with  bounty,  is  ever  prolific  of  supply.  He 
feels  that  his  agency  alone  is  wanting,  in  order  to  provision 
and  enjoyment.  All  his  feelings  and  faculties  find  counter- 
part objects  in  the  scenes  of  nature  surrounding  him.  And 
the  same  is  true  of  all  the  wants  and  necessities,  the  rela- 
tions and  duties  of  his  being.  In  a  word,  regarded  only  as 
the  urn  of  existence,  earth  becomes  endeared  to  us,  beyond 
all  the  brilliant  masses  of  the  sky.  But  it  will  be  asked, 
what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  occasion,  —  the  subject 
ostensibly  engrossing  us  ?  How  are  such  dreams  and 
fancies  to  blend  with  the  plow  and  harrow,  —  muck  and 
manure  ?  This  question,  rather  formidable,  (certainly) 
will  perhaps  be  hest  answered  by  suggesting,  that  we  have 
several  other  preliminary  matters  to  attend  to,  before  we 
shall  have  any  use  for  the  plow  and  harrow,  or  shall  know 
what  to  do  with  muck  and  manure.  Nature  is,  in  strictness, 
the  text  and  archetype  of  science ;  and  must  we  not  know 
what  nature  has  done,  before  we  can  determine  what  she 
has  left  for  us  to  do  ? 

About  some  of  nature's  arrangements  and  pre-adjust- 
ments,  we  have  perhaps  said  enough, — possibly  too  much. 
But  there  are  others,  less  complicated  with  the  general  struc- 


188  AGKICULT0RAL    ADDRESS. 

ture  of  things,  and  more  directly  applicable  to  the  subject 
in  hand,  •whose  introduction  may  aid  us  in  accomplishing 
the  object  we  have  in  view.  If  it  be  our  aim  to  ascertain 
the  best  means  of  culture  and  fertilization  as  it  regards  soils, 
it  may  save  an  expenditure  of  all  the  means  involved,  to 
pay  some  attention  to  the  composite  nature  of  soils,  —  the 
elements  and  contingencies,  the  conditions  and  agencies, 
necessary  to  vegetable  growth,  and  especially,  enlarged 
effective  agricultural  production.  The  object  oi  science  is 
to  ascertain  the  mode,  —  the  hoio  of  nature's  operations. 
The  means  of  such  ascertainment,  must,  in  every  instance, 
be  observation  and  experiment.  In  this  way,  science 
becomes  a  classification  of  general  laws,  from  an  induction 
of  particular  facts.  These  facts,  in  the  present  inquiry, 
must  be  sought  in  the  elementary  principles  of  soil,  the 
atmosphere,  the  living  plant,  comprehending  all  the  agencies 
knovv^n  to  affect  the  phenomena  of  vegetation. 

Still  further  then,  in  order  to  place  our  subject  in  a 
proper  light,  it  will  be  necessary  to  glance  at  the  geological 
structure,  relations,  and  phenomena  of  the  earth's  surface. 
The  matter  of  our  globe  must  be  judged  of  by  the  super- 
ficial contents  of  that  portion  of  its  crust,  accessible  to 
observation.  The  substances  constituent  of  the  solid  crust 
of  the  globe,  are  familiarly  classified  as  rocks,  earths, 
minerals,  water,  air.  Geology  affects  agriculture,  only  in 
so  far  as  it  shows  the  true  elements,  —  the  proximate  prin- 
ciples of  earth,  and  how  far  these  component  parts  influence 
the  growth  of  vegetation  ;  and  even  this  service  requires 
the  aid  of  chemistry.  So  far  as  rocks  are  concerned,  the 
affinities  found  among  them,  as  it  regards  constituent  parts, 
are  so  nearly  uniform,  that  the  idea  of  constitutional  identity 
is  suggested  at  once.  And  the  supposition  that  different 
rocks,  or  kinds  of  rock,  give  character,  in  any  sensible 
degree,  to  the  soils  reposing  on   them,  must  be  utterly 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  189 

rejected.  In  this  view  of  llie  subject,  ail  soil  is  very  nearly 
the  same  ;  and  no  material  dill'erence,  from  geological  causes, 
is  allowable  iu  our  ueneral  estimates  of  soils.  Numerous  facts 
tend  to  establish  this  conclusion  with  the  utmost  clearness. 
No  greater  diversity  of  production,  no  greater  difference, 
in  kind  or  quc^ntity,  is  found  connected  with  soils  supported 
by  different  classes  of  rock,  than  in  the  instance  of  soils 
reposing  upon  the  same  specific  bed :  and^  it  is  a  curious 
fact,  tested  by  the  most  rigid  analysis,  that  soils  reposing 
upon  immense  beds  of  limestone,  has  less  of  the  constituent 
lime  in  their  composition,  than  soils  beneath  which  the 
limestone  is  entirely  absent.  How  far  soil  may  be  atfected 
by  the  disintegration  of  rock,  reducing  it  to  a  state  of 
pulrerulence  in  a  long  course  of  ages,  and  so  blending  it 
Avith  soil,  is  a  separate  question  entirely.  Our  position, 
contrary  perhaps  to  the  generally  received  opinion,  is,  that 
imbedded  rocks  exert  no  known  appreciable  influence  upon 
the  soils  by  which  they  are  covered  ;  and  should  not  be 
relied  upon,  to  any  extent,  by  either  the  philosopher  or  the 
cultivator.  The  supposition  we  here  oppose  has,  no  donbt, 
been  greatly  strengthened  by  the  equally  fallacious  assump- 
tion, that  all  soil  is  the  product  of  rocks,  subjected  to  the 
processes  of  disintegration  ;  —  a  supposition  as  improbable 
aprlori,  as  it  is  unallowable  on  the  ground  of  examined 
facts.  The  doctrine  that  soils  are  geologically  determined 
by  the  rocks  beneath  them,  is  certainly  not  susceptible  of 
proof,  except  in  relation  to  given  localities, — limited  tracts, 
which  instead  of  establishing,  can  only  be  regarded  as 
exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  Soils  do  not  take  their 
character  from  the  rocks  underlaying  them:  and  in  all  soils 
will  be  found  all  the  inorganic  elements,  such  as  phospliate 
and  sulphate  of  lime,  the  alkalies,  and  other  constituents 
necessary  to  the  common  purposes  of  production.  The 
only  difficulty  is,  to  find  them  in  due  proportion,  in  a  slate 


190  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

of  proper  equivalence  in  relation  to  each  other,  and  also  to 
the  organic  elements  composing  the  gein,  or  vegetable  mold 
of  soils.  .  Tlie  soils  covering  all  the  principal  rock  forma- 
tions of  geology,  say  thirteen,  subjected  to  the  most  rigid 
chemical  tests,  furnish  within  a  very  tritiing  per  cent,  the 
same  amount  of  gein,  soluble  and  insoluble,  and  selected  from 
a  disti'ict  of  country  nearly  equal  in  territory  to  the  whole 
State  of  Kentucky  ;  and  as  the  earthy  and  metallic  ingredients 
are  seldom  or  never  wanting,  and  it  requires  proof  that  the 
salts  are  to  any  considerable  extent,  derived  from  the  rock 
foundations  of  soil,  and  gein  being  essentially  organic  in 
origin,  it  furnishes  strong  presumption  that  the  rock-soil 
theoiy  does  not  affect  the  character  of  soil,  to  the  extent 
usually  assumed  by  its  supporters. 

The  prin(;ipal  fact,  seemingly  opposed  to  the  assumption 
that  rocks  do  not  affect  the  soils  resting  on  them,  is,  that 
the  fossilliferous  and  trappean  classes  have  a  small  per  cent, 
more  of  lime  and  magnesia  in  them,  than  the  granitic  and 
non fossil! iferous  ;  and  as  these  are  known  to  influence  soils, 
it  iuay  be  thought  by  some,  that  what  we  assume  is  not 
correct.  When,  however,  it  is  taken  into  the  account,  that 
the  excess  of  lime  and  magnesia  in  the  former  class,  is 
inconsiderable,  and  especially,  that  we  have  no  reason  to 
believe,  that  in  rocks  underlaying  soils,  it  is  detached  and 
eliminated  in  sufficient  quantities  to  be  of  any  service  to 
the  soil,  our  reasoning  remains  unaffected  by  the  fact 
alleged.  Other  circumstances  being  equal,  all  the  food- 
growing  plants  flourish  equally  over  every  class  and  kind 
of  rock  formation  known  to  belong  to  the  crust  of  the 
earth. 

Take  the  extended  belt  of  the  earth's  surface  found 
between  twenty  and  seventy  degrees  north  latitude,  exhibit- 
ing every  variety  of  rock  formation,  and  yet  within  tlic 
entire  range,  no  where  are  the  cultivated  crops  affected  by 


AORIOULTCRAL    ADDRESS.  191 

the  chemical  constiuitiou  of  difitirent  rocks  benoath  the  soil, 
It  is  to  be  feared,  that  many  are  inclined  to  regard  geology 
as  throwing  more  light  on  the  subject  of  agriculture  than 
facts  will  warrant.  If,  for  example,  it  be  a  fact  that  soil  is 
not  essentially  effected  by  the  rock  formations  subtended 
beneath,  and  that  it  is  derived,  in  very  small  proportion, 
from  tlie  gradual  abrasion,  and  pulverulent  matter  of  rocks, 
—  if  it  should  turn  out,  as  we  have  no  doubt  it  will,  in  the 
progress  of  science,  that  the  mineral  ingredients  found  in 
soil,  are  only  nutritive  in  combination  with  other  elements 
and  agents,  organic  and  inorganic,  and  especially  the 
former  in  the  shape  of  gein,  the  gi'eat  supplier  of  carbon 
and  the  gases,  it  must  be  seen  and  felt  at  once,  that  we 
may  rely  upon  the  contributions  of  mineralogy  and  geol- 
ogy, in  connection  with  practical  agriculture,  beyond  their 
actual  ascertained  value.  While  the  value  of  each  is,  in 
.some  respects,  real  and  important,  it  is.  relative  and  con- 
tingent, and  must  conditionate  and  determine  production 
much  more  limitedly  than  has  generally  been  supposed. 

The  best  soils  we  have  exhibit  the  followinor  elomeiits, 
in  very  nearly  the  proportions  named.  In  one  hundred 
parts,  60  silica  — 15  or  16  alumina — lime  3 — oxide  of  iron 
2 — manganese  7 — soluble  gein  4  —  insoluble  gein  5  — 
potash  3  —  soda  1  — magnesia  1.  The  salts  and  gein,  you 
perceive,  must  be  from  four  to  ten  per  cent.,  in  order  to 
decide  fertility  ;  and  the  question  arises,  to  what  extent 
can  the  different  kinds  of  subjacent  rock,  such  as  o-ranite, 
gneiss,  and  limestone,  laying  at  a  depth,  generally,  of  from 
fifteen  to  one  hundred  feet  beneath  the  soil,  exert  any  very 
decided  influence  upon  these  ingredients  ?  And  especially 
to  what  extent  are  the  salts  and  the  gein,  (the  principal 
elements  of  fertility,)  afl'ected  by  the  rocks  beneath  ?  That 
salts,  in  some  instances,  and  to  a  limited  extent,  are  sup- 
plied by  rocks,  is  admitted;  but  does  it  follow,  or  is  it 


192  AGRICUI-TURAL   ADDRESS. 

possible  to  suppose,  that  they  are  furnished  usually,  and 
in  tlie  requisite  quantity,  by  the  deeply  imbedded  strata 
supporting  soils  ?  Must  there  not  be,  and  is  it  not  known, 
that  there  are  other  and  less  doubtful  sources  of  supply  ? 
In  the  chemical  and  mechanical  action  and  reaction  going 
on  in  successive  ages,  between  the  earthy  materials  of  the 
world's  crust  and  surface,  may  we  not  have  greatly  tho 
laro-er  part  of  the  dust  and  debris  ascribed  to  the  disinte- 
gration of  rocks  ?  A  few  specific  kinds  of  earth  constitute 
tlie  inorganic  portion  of  soil.  The  principal  are  silex, 
(sand)  alumina,  (clay)  and  limestone.  Tlie  word  lime,  is 
used  vaguely  to  denote  all  forms  of  calcareous  earthy 
matter,  but  its  more  common  and  restricted  meaning  is  con- 
fined to  the  artificial  product,  obtained  from  the  carbonate 
of  lime  by  burning,  such  as  marble  or  limestone  proper. 
In  nearly  all  its  known  states  and  relations,  however,  it  is 
supposed  to  perform  important  functions.  A  more  general 
analysis  of  soils  will  give  the  following  elements  ;  and  in 
decreased  proportion,  corresponding  with  the  order  in 
•which  they  are  named.  Earths,  (as  above,)  water,  vegeta- 
ble mold,  decayed  animal  matter  or  substances,  salts,  ores, 
alkalies,  and  gases.  Ask  yourselves  now,  in  what  proportion 
the  sands,  the  clay,  the  Avater,  the  salts,  the  ores,  the  alkalies, 
the  gases  are  derived  from  rocks  ?  Must  not  the  proportion 
be  inconsiderable  ?  That  there  is  a  contribution  to  some 
extent,  is  admitted  ;  but  that  it  is  sufficient  to  determine 
quality,  and  give  character  to  soil,  is  a  position  unsupported 
by  any  evidence  we  have  met  with  on  the  subject. 

We  do  not  object  to  a  geological  classification  of  soils. 
It  is  convenient,  and  for  general  purposes  proper  ;  and  our 
only  motive  for  introducing  the  topic,  has  been  to  check 
what  we  regard,  as  a  prevalent  propensity  to  over  estimate 
the  manner  in  which  soils  are  affected  by  geological  forma- 
tions in  the  earth's  crust  supporting  them. 


AGRICULTURAL   ADDRESS.  193 

Chemistry  admits  of  a  much  more  extensive  application 
to  agriculture,  than  geology.  The  rationale  of  vegetable 
life  must  be  sought  in  the  elementary  principles  of  vegetable 
structures.  The  composite  ingredients  constituting  the 
fabric  of  a  plant,  must  be  ascertained,  and  chemical 
anal3'sis  enables  the  inquirer  to  reach  the  desired  result. 
By  the  aid  of  chemistry,  most  important  conclusions  havo 
been  arrived  at,  affecting  the  laws  of  vegetable  life.  The 
principal  earths  found  in  vegetables  are  lime,  silica,  mag- 
nesia, and  alumina.  The  principal  alkalies  are  potass, 
soda,  and  ammonia,  metallic  oxides  —  iron,  and  maganese. 
Carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen,  and  nitrogen,  viewed  as  con- 
stituent uncompounded  elements  in  physical  nature,  may 
be  said  to  form  the  substantial  essence  of  the  vegetable 
"world.  In  this  way,  chemical  analysis  lays  bare  the 
constituent  properties,  and  unfolds  the  essential  physiology 
of  vegetable  organization,  and  furnishes  innumerable  data 
for  the  guidance  of  the  cullivator  of  the  soil.  It  explains 
the  nature,  elements,  a«d  changes  of  soil,  as  the  source  of 
vegetable  production.  It  teaches  us  the  organic  structure 
of  plants,  and  unfolds  the  processes  of  vegetation.  It 
makes  us  acquainted  with  the  conditions  and  agencies  most 
essential  to  the  vital  functions  of  vegetable  growth,  indefi- 
nitely enlarging  the  sphere,  and  improving  the  various 
kinds  of  production.  Among  the  conditions  and  agencies 
essential  to  the  living  structure  and  growth  of  plants,  the 
most  important  are  soil,  air,  water,  food,  gravitation,  affinity, 
light,  heat,  electricity,  and  in  the  instance  of  agriculture, 
human  agency  comes  in,  as  indispensable  to  the  intended 
result. 

A  slight  acquaintance  wdtli  the  vital  functions  of  plants 

renders  it  certain,  that  both  chemical  and  mechanical  laws 

and   tendencies,   are  resisted   by  the   vital   principle,   and 

subordinated  to  it.  —  Such  as  affinity,  repulsion,  cohesion, 
VOL.   II — 17. 


J  94  AGRICULTORAL    ADDRESS. 

gravitation,  &c.  All  the  agents  and  elements  of  veg-etable 
production  are  subjected  to  the  control  of  the  vital  principle. 
Chemical  affinity,  as  met  with  in  vegetable  compounds,  by 
which  matter  of  one  kind  has  attraction  for  matter  of  an 
opposite  kiad,  performing  offices  entirely  variant  from  those 
of  cohesion  and  orravitation,  attractino*  and  holdino-  toiretlier, 
in  the  same  compound,  different  kinds  of  matter,  until 
some  third  kind,  by  the  same  or  some  other  law,  leads  to 
decomposition  ;  and  in  this  way,  operating  results  in  the 
vegetable  economy,  as  important  as  they  are,  in  many 
instances,  inexplicable,  are  controlled  by  the  vital  action 
of  the  plant.  The  laws  of  chemical  affinity  extend  alike 
to  organic  and  inorganic  elements  and  compounds,  and  are 
susceptible  of  indefinite  application  in  the  practical  pursuits 
and  relations  of  agriculture.  As  these  affinities  all  operate 
hy  fixed,  and  generally  unalterable  laws,  as  it  regards  estab- 
lished proportion,  exact  relative  equivalence,  each  with  the 
rest  in  every  compound,  by  means  of  chemical  analysis, 
the  constitution  of  soils  and  plants  is  readily  determinable. 
The  most  important  lesson  thus  learned  aflfecting  the  interests 
of  agriculture,  is,  that  the  several  kinds  of  soil,  and  the 
almost  infinite  variety  of  vegetable  productions,  are  inva- 
riably compounded  of  a  few  simple  substances,  in  nearly 
given,  and  always  ascertainable  proportions.  The  chemical 
forces  too,  of  light,  heat,  and  electricity,  come  in  here  for 
a  moment's  notice ;  not  only  operating  numerous  modifica- 
tions of  the  action  of  affinity  itself,  but  acting  directly  upon 
all  the  vital  functions  of  vegetation.  It  has  been  seen  that 
these  chemical  forces,  are  held  in  subjection  by  what  is 
called  the  vital  force  of  the  plant  —  its  living  power, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  organic  and  inorganic 
elements  of  soil.  Wliat  this  catalysis,  or  catalytic  power 
of  the  plant  is,  we  do  not  attempt  to  explain  ;  but  as  its 
presence    in    the   soil   gives  birth  to  otherwise  unknown 


AGRICULTURAL.  ADDRESS.  195 

phenomena,  we  are  obliged  to  recognize  life  —  the  vitality 
in  qiieslion,  as  invested  with  special  agency  in  relation  to 
all  the  proximate  principles  of  vegetable  growtli.  Organi- 
zation results  only  from  this  living  principle  ;  and  the  vital 
force  of  which  we  speak,  is  phenomenally  different  from 
every  other  known  force  in  nature.  The  process  of  the 
absorption  of  food  by  the  leaves,  and  its  imbibition  by  the 
roots,  as  the  organs  of  nutrition,  proves  not  only  the  exist- 
ence of  the  vital  energy  of  plants,  but  its  power  to  resist 
chemical  affinities,  gravitation,  and  the  alternations  of  heat 
and  cold. 

The  great  peculiarity  of  the  living  energy  of  plants,  is 
most  strikingly  exemplified  in  the  productions  of  vegetable 
life.  These  have  never  been,  never  can  be  produced  by 
any  possible  combination  of  merely  chemical  or  mechanical 
agents.  These  formatious  exist  nowhere,  never  can  exist 
anywhere  in  nature,  however  assisted  by  art,  except  under 
the  direction  of  the  living  -principle  now  claiming  attention. 
The  great  ftict  to  which  we  now  advert,  giving  birth  to  a 
thousand  other  facts,  is  most  essentially  connected  with  all 
the  proceses,  and  the  entire  system  of  tillage.  The  soil 
and  atmosphere  are  depositions  of  food  for  plants,  and  also 
the  media  of  communication  to  the  roots  and  leaves ;  but 
the  food  from  both  soil  and  atmosphere  has  to  be  modified 
and  prepared,  in  order  to  reception  and  assimilation  by  the 
plant;  and  here,  the  catalytic  force  alluded  to,  is  indispen- 
sable. The  soil  and  the  living  plant  form  a  galvanic  battery 
by  which  the  decomposition  of  soil  is  effected  for  the 
purposes  of  nutrition,  and  the  vital  functions  of  the  plant 
stimulated  and  developed.  And  is  it  not  equally  certain, 
that  a  similar  battery  for  similar  purposes,  is  in  action 
between  the  leaves  of  the  plant  and  the  atmosphere  ?  The 
principal  substances  thus  eliminated  and  prepared  for  food, 
are  carbonic  acid,  water,  (oxygen  and  hydrogen)  ammonia, 


196  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

the  alkalies,  alkaline  earths,  metallic  oxides,  different  kinds 
of  salts,  and  the  several  orijanic  substances  enterinf  as 
constituents  into  the  formation  of  vegetable  mold  or  the 
gein  of  soils.  Let  an  example  explain  what  we  mean. 
Look  at  the  electricity  of  soils.  In  pure  silica  or  sand,  it 
is  wholly  negative.  In  the  case  of  alumina,  lime,  magne- 
sia, iron,  and  the  alkalies,  it  is  wholly  positive  ;  and  in 
either  case,  absolute  barrenness  is  the  result.  Nature  and 
art,  however,  furnish  the  corrective.  Vegetable  and  ani- 
mal substances  in  the  soil,  are  constantly  generating  acids 
and  alkalies :  the  former  negative,  and  the  latter  positive 
in  their  electricity.  These  produce  electric  action  and  cur- 
rents in  the  soil,  directlj^  affecting  the  constituents  of  soil 
and  the  functions  of  plants,  as  assumed  above.  If  then,  a 
soil  be  predominantly  acid  and  negative  in  its  electricity, 
or  alkaline  and  positive,  and  of  course,  in  both  cases  bar- 
ren, let  the  farmer,  as  he  can  by  well-known  processes, 
neutralize  the  acid  and  alkaline  qualities,  so  as  to  balance 
the  electro  powers  of  the  soil,  and  fertility  will  be  the 
result.     Such  views,  however,  cannot  be  extended. 

In  an  address,  more  or  less  miscellaneous  in  its  charac- 
ter, it  cannot  be  expected  that  we  enter  very  minutely,  or 
at  any  considerable  length,  into  strictly  scientific  distinc- 
tions. While  it  may  be  proper  briefly  to  state,  it  cannot 
be  expected  that  we  attempt  to  elaborate  the  chemical 
conditions  known  to  be  essential  to  the  existence  and  devel- 
opment of  vegetable  life.  It  cannot  be  looked  for  that  we 
attempt  to  explain,  in  any  detailed  manner,  how  the  pro- 
cesses of  organic  nature  are  subject,  primarily,  to  the 
operation  of  chemical  laws,  and  yet  afterward  superior  to 
them,  in  the  instance  of  each  specific  organization.  In  the 
instance  of  each  specific  vegetable,  we  have  a  well-known 
complexity,  an  undoubted  diversity  of  parts,  variously 
dependent  upon  each  other,  and  jointly  tending  to  secure 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  197 

the  same  result ;  and  it  is  the  business  of  organic  chemis- 
try, as  applied  to  vegetation,  to  detect  and  illustrate  the 
agencies  and  conditions  essential  to  the  existence  and  repro- 
duction of  these  living  organisms.  In  each,  the  parts  met 
with  are  reciprocally  means  and  ends.  Each  depends  upon 
the  other,  and  they  mutually  subserve  the  complex  pur- 
poses of  the  whole.  To  understand  the  constituent 
elements,  therefore,  the  conditions  of  growth  and  develop- 
ment, and  the  kindred  facts  of  their  philosophy,  it  is 
necessary  to  take  into  the  account  whatever  may  serve 
them  as  nutriment,  the  productive  supply  of  substances 
affording  nourishment,  together  with  the  so2irces  whence 
these  substances  are  derived,  not  less  than  the  processes 
of  assimilation,  implied  in  the  changes  they  undero-o  in 
becoming  the  food  of  organized  bodies.  Whenever  the 
organic  and  inorganic  divisions  of  nature,  are  subjected  to 
examinations  in  this  way,  we  learn  that,  primarily,  the 
animal  kingdom  is  dependent  upon  the  vegetable  for 
growth  and  supply  ;  and  the  vegetable,  in  return,  upon  the 
great  mass  of  inorganic  substances.  Hence,  no  adequate 
comprehension  of  the  subject,  in  its  more  minute  and  phi- 
losophical relations,  is  possible,  without  an  extended  appeal, 
not  merely  to  chemistry,  but  to  the  kindred  sciences  of 
mineralogy,  geology,  botany  and  zoology,  whose  fixed  laws 
are  directly  connected  with  the  vegetable  kingdom  ;  and 
either  directly  or  indirectly  with  the  animal,  also.  The 
physical  should  always  be  distinguished  from  the  chemical 
properties  of  soil ;  and  yet,  both  studied  in  connection, 
as  it  will  often  be  necessary  to  consult  each  class  of  charac- 
teristics, in  order  to  secure  the  required  combination. 
Thus,  soils  distinguished  as  wet  and  dry,  light  and  heavy, 
warm  and  cold,  may  be  more  influenced  by  local  physical 
causes  than  by  their  actual  chemical  constitution,  and 
their  cultivation  and  treatment  should  vary  accordingly. 


J  98  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

On  the  subject  of  chemical  conditions  and  agencies,  it 
may  be  proper  to  add,  that  in  tlie  vegetable  economy,  car- 
bon performs  a  most  important  part.  It  constitutes  from 
forty  to  fifty  per  cent,  by  weight,  of  every  part  of  all  the 
plants  cultivated  for  the  food  of  men  or  animals.  Oxygen, 
tangibly  known  only  in  its  gaseous  form,  is  the  great  sus- 
tainer  of  animal  life.  It  constitutes  twenty-one  per  cent, 
of  the  bulk  of  the  atmosphere.  It  forms  eight  of  every 
nine  pounds  of  water.  It  constitutes  nearly  one-half  of  all 
the  solid  rocks,  and  of  the  entire  crust  of  our  globe,  and 
of  all  solid  substances  about  us  ;  and  in  the  instance  of 
animal  and  vegetable  substances,  more  than  one-half.  Its 
presence  and  action  are  essential  to  vegetable  life. 

Hydrogen,  like  oxygen,  is  only  known  to  the  senses  in 
the  shape  of  gas.  Of  the  bulk  and  weight  of  animal  sub- 
stances, it  forms  but  a  small  per  centage.  Of  the  weight 
of  water,  it  constitutes  one-ninth.  Into  the  mineral 
masses  of  the  globe's  crust,  it  does  not  enter,  coal  only 
excepted.  It  does  not  exist  in  nature  in  a  free  state  ;  and 
in  such  state  is  not  necessary  to  the  life  and  growth  of 
animals  or  vegetables.  Its  adaptation,  therefore,  to  the 
purposes  of  vegetable  and  animal  life,  is  only  in  combina- 
tion with  other  elements  and  properties.  Nitrogen,  too,  is 
known  only  as  a  gas.  It  forms  seventy-nine  per  cent,  of 
the  bulk  of  the  atmosphere.  It  is  found  in  some  vegetable, 
and  in  a  large  number  of  animal  substances.  It  is  not 
found  in  any  of  the  great  mineral  masses,  except  occasion- 
ally it  is  detected,  in  very  small  quantity,  in  the  vegetable 
formations  of  coal,  usually  ranking  among  minerals. 
As  an  organic  element,  it  is  not  abundant  in  nature,  and 
yet  is  important  to  the  vitality  and  development  of  plants 
and  animals  ;  and  tli rough  the  medium  of  spring-water 
and  rain-water,  imbibed  from  atmospheric  air,  it  reaches 
and  nourishes  vegetation. 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  199 

These  elementary  bodies  form  the  principal  part  of  all 
organic  substances,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  raw  mate- 
rial upon  which  the  chemistry  of  vegetable  life  and  the 
animal  organism  operates,  and  from  which,  in  the  one  case 
and  the  other,  ils  innumerable  constructions  are  molded. 
With  very  few  exceptions,  all  organized  bodies  consist  of 
the  four  substances  just  described.  In  vegetable  sub- 
stances, however,  they  are  very  unequally  distributed.  la 
a  thousand  parts  of  wheat,  for  example,  we  have  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  of  carbon,  four  hundred  and  thirty-one 
of  oxygen,  sixty-one  of  hydrogen,  forty-two  of  nitrogen, 
and  the  balance  in  organic  matter,  say  ash.  The  uses  and 
modifications  of  these  great  constituent  elements  of  physi- 
cal nature,  are  endlessly  varied,  throughout  all  her  produc- 
tions, organic  and  inorganic.  The  principal  ingredient  of 
water,  is  also  the  principal  ingredient  of  rock  or  stone. 
The  sole  constituent  of  the  diamond,  sparkling  upon  the 
brow  of  beauty,  enters,  in  the  proportion  of  some  fifty  per 
cent,  into  the  composition  of  a  potatoe  or  cabbage-head. 
The  elementary  matter  which,  last  season,  pointed  the 
thorn  and  the  briar,  and  prepared  the  sting  of  the  nettle 
and  thistle,  may  this  season,  regale  your  senses  in  the  rose, 
the  grape  and  the  peach.  The  marble  slab,  the  block  of  lime- 
stone, tlie  loaf  of  bread,  the  black  lead  pencil,  the  blushing 
rose,  beautiful  hand,  eloquent  and  lovely  face  —  all  the 
same  —  one  in  substance  in  nature's  laboratory  !  Part  of 
the  finest  eye  before  me,  brilliant  with  the  coruscations  of 
thought  and  feeling,  may  have  been  the  snuff  of  a  candle, 
and  may  yet  be  cinder  ! 

Such  facts  and  data  in  the  general  constitution  of  nature, 
give  birth  to  important  practical  results.  Let  a  single 
e  ample  explain.  A  vigorous  and  abundant  vegetation  is 
■'  iportant  to  health.     Excess  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  is  deci- 

edly  injurious  to  animal  life  ;  and  it  is   known  that  its 


200  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

formation  is  constantly  going  on  in  every  instance  of  com- 
bustion, putrefaciion,  fermentation,  and  animal  respiration, 
beside  man)'  other  operations  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
unceasingly  charging  the  atmosphere  with  this  gas,  while 
the  only  general  operation  in  nature,  by  which  ii  is 
abstracted  in  necessary  quantity  from  the  atmosphere,  and 
neutralized  in  combination  with  the  soil,  is  vegetation. 
Hence,  abundance  of  vegetation  is  favorable  to  life  and 
health  ;  and  rural  scenes  and  localities  decidedly  more 
healthful  and  invigorating  than  any  other.  It  was  a  part 
of  the  religion  of  the  ancient  Persians  to  plant  trees  about 
their  homesteads,  and  it  ought  to  be  a  part  of  your  religion, 
too  ! 

It  has  been  seen  that  oiir  world  offers  us  five  p-rand 
divisions.  The  aerial,  the  aqueous,  the  mineral,  ihe  vege- 
table, and  the  animal.  Man  is  essentially  dependant  upon 
each.  Directly,  he  derives  subsistence  from  the  animal 
and  vegetable -kingdoms,  as  animal  life  can  only  subsist  on 
what  has  had  life  before.  Indirectly,  however,  he  subsists 
alike  upon  the  other  three  ;  and  in  the  most  direct  sense, 
he  is  dependant  upon  them  for  life  and  habitation.  How 
important,  then,  that  eaeli  should  be  understood,  in  its 
proper  scientific  relations  !  How  intimate  is  the  connec- 
tion between  these  several  divisions  of  earth,  and  the 
vegetable  burdens  and  animal  tribes,  which  it  is  the  busi- 
ness of  tillage  and  husbandry  to  provide  for  the  use  of  man  ! 

Fiirther,  the  theory  of  the  action  of  manures  can  only  be 
understood  by  an  appeal  to  chemistry.  We  must  first 
understand  the  action  of  the  elements  of  soil  upon  each 
other,  and  how  vegetation  is  affected  by  them,  at  the  same 
time.  No  acquaintance,  however  exiensive,  witli  mineral- 
ogy, geology,  or  descriptive  botany,  can  possibly  be  of  any 
service  without  a  resort  to  chemistry.  Select  a  fact,  impor- 
tant to  bo    known.     Carbonic  acid,  and  the  carbonates  in 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  201 

soil,  let  loose  —  set  free  the  polasli,  lime,  soda,  magnesia, 
and  alumina  ;  and  with  these,  the  organic  parts  unite,  as 
gein,  and  by  the  union,  we  have  the  formation  of  gein  ;  and 
these  geotes  are  again  transformed  by  the  carbonic  acid, 
from  the  carbonate  of  lime,  into  super  geotes,  readily  dis- 
solvable, and  essential  to  fertility  ;  and  we  thus  learn  that 
gein  is  a  principal  agent  of  nature  in  dissolving  the  earthy 
constituents  of  soil,  and  preparing  food  for  plants.  The 
alkalies,  let  loose  as  above,  act  upon  the  insolubility  of 
gein,  and  in  this  mutual  reaction  and  introspection,  we 
have  one  of  the  grand  secrets  of  fertilization,  as  it  regards 
soil.  Introduce,  now,  the  living  plant  into  the  soil,  with 
its  well-known  powerful  catalytic  action  in  changing  the 
relations  of  the  constituents  of  soil,  (organic  and  inorganic) 
and  you  will  have  a  most  vivid  perception  of  the  galvanic 
battery  we  named  a  short  time  since.  The  presence  of  the 
plant  in  soil,  separates  the  elements  of  the  salts,  the  earthy, 
or  metalHc  base  remains  the  same,  and  the  acid  of  the  salt, 
which  thus  let  loose,  acts  upon  the  silicates  of  soil,  pro- 
ducing new  salts  which  are  constantly  repeating  the  results 
of  the  original  salt.  Thus,  a  salt  containing  in  itself  no 
-nutriment,  is  found  of  the  utmost  importance  in  soils, 
because  of  its  chemical  results  in  relation  to  the  otherwise 
useless  ingredients  of  soils.  Hence,  a  most  interesting 
oonclusion  —  without  salts  and  gein  we  have  no  vegetable 
production.  The  gein  in  sokdion  is  essential  to  fruit,  and 
yet,  without  the  salts,  the  insolubility  of  gein  would  leave 
the  soil  barren. 

It  has  been  seen,  to  what  extent  soil  is  influenced  by  its 
electric  tendencies.  Dry,  sandy  soil,  is  a  non-conductor 
of  electricity.  A  heavy,  clayey,  aluminous  soil,  is  but  a 
weak,  imperfect  conductor  ;  while  gein,  which  is  positive 
in  its  electric  affinities,  in  relation  to  the  other  properties 
of  soil,  necessarily  become-s  the  principal  medium  in  th«> 


202  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

electric  circulation,  indispensable  to  the  results  of  effective 
cuhivation.  It  has  also  been  ascertained  that  the  small  per 
cent,  of  nitrogen  found  in  plants,  and  not  only  favorable, 
but  essential  to  veoetation,  but  which  is  never  received 
and  assimilated  in  its  gaseous  state,  enters  through  the 
medium  of  the  vegetable  extract  of  mold  or  gein,  (not 
from  rocks)  and  tends  further  to  illustrate  the  importance 
of  this  substance,  as  the  prime  element  of  fertility  in  soils. 

We  may  not  have  elaborated  this  topic  to  the  satisfaction 
of  cither  the  philosopher  or  the  man  of  practice  ;  enough, 
how^ever,  has  been  submitted,  should  you  regard  what  has 
been  said  as  of  consequence  at  all,  to  challenge  careful 
examinaiion,  and  the  result,  we  doubt  not,  will  satisfy  you, 
that  the  great  secret  of  fertility  in  soils,  connects  itself  with 
the  fact  that  there  must  be  the  presence  of  matter,  which 
has  formed  the  part  of  living  structures,  vegetable  oi 
animal,  and  now  blends  by  chemical  action,  with  the 
silicates  of  soil,  in  the  creation  of  food  for  vegetation. 
Take  into  the  account  the  entire  vegetable  kingdom,  with 
its  hundred  thousand  tribes,  annually  coating  the  earth's 
surface  for  six  thousand  years  :  include  too,  if  you  will, 
thiC  pre-existing  vegetations  of  geology  incorporated  with 
the  earth's  crust,  and  the  subsoils  of  (perhaps)  every 
country,  and  add  to  these  the  unnumbered  millions  of  the 
animal  kingdom,  in  the  shape  of  man,  beast,  fowl,  reptile, 
and  insect,  augmenting  incalculably  the  organic  accumu- 
lations of  soil,  and  you  will  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of 
the  great  constituent  of  soil,  and  source  of  fertility  upon 
which  we  have  been  enlarging. 

The  view  we  have  taken  of  this  subject  is  practically  as 
old  as  agriculture  itself.  It  has  been  taught  by  experience 
and  practice,  for  at  least,  three  thousand  years.  The  tiller 
of  the  ground,  however  unskilled  in  art  and  science,  has 
looked  about  liim,  and  disengaged  the  truth  from  nature. 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS,  203 

He  could  not  fail  to  perceive  the  necessity  and  importance 
of  manuring,  as  suggested  by  nature  itself,  according  to 
whose  laws,  the  annual  decays  of  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
and  the  constant  decomposition  of  animal  substances,  enrich 
the  soil,  in  a  way  obvious  to  every  one.  Centuries  of 
experience  attest,  that  all  soils  require  occasional  correction 
and  stimulation,  by  some  of  the  many  fertilizing  manures, 
which  the  experiments  of  art  and  science  have  accredited 
as  efficient  agents  in  the  amelioration  of  poor,  and  the 
renovation  of  reduced  soils.  It  is  one  of  nature's  wise 
appointments,  that  death  in  the  vegetable  world,  becomes 
a  source  of  life,  and  one  of  the  necessary  conditions  of 
renewal. 

The  moral  taught  us  is,  that  where  soil  is  not  found,  it 
can  be  created.  Plants  must  have  for  food,  the  substances 
of  which  they  are  known  to  be  composed  ;  and  where  can 
3'ou  look  for  the  requisite  supply  of  carbon,  oxygen, 
hydrogen,  and  nitrogen,  except  in  the  organic  accumula- 
tions, in  the  shape  of  natural  decomposition,  composts, 
manures,  &c.;  —  that  is  the  gein,  upon  which  we  have 
been  insisting  ?  That  these  elements  are  never  supplied 
by  rocks,  at  least  to  the  extent  they  are  needed,  is  proved, 
irrefutably,  by  the  fact  that  without  the  organic  matter 
in  question,  as  in  the  instance  of  deep  subsoils,  reposing 
upon  rock  foundations,  the  power  of  fertility  is  essentially 
absent. 

Upon  the  real  and  relative  importance  of  agriculture,  we 
shall  not  be  expected  to  dilate,  except  in  general  terms. 
Its  true  status  in  the  range  of  art  and  science, — in  the 
cycle  of  productive  operations  of  every  age  and  country, — 
in  the  general  economies  of  mankind,  and  especially,  as  it 
regards  American  husbandry,  will  appear  with  sufficient 
force  and  clearness  by  keeping  in  view  the  relations  between 
the  different  parts  of  the  general  subject.     If  science  be 


204  AaRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

brought  to  the  aid  of  our  natural  advantages,  no  limit  can 
be  set  to  tlie  productiveness  of  our  extended  territory. 
Some  four  thousand  different  kinds  of  plants  are  indigenous 
to  temperate  America;  to  say  nothing  of  exotics,  and 
leaving  out  of  view  the  thirteen  thousand  of  Equinoctial 
America.  Many  of  these,  hitherto  not  thouo-ht  of 
as  possessing  value,  are  being  annually  appropriated  to 
important  domestic  and  productive  uses,  such  as  food, 
clothing,  medicine,  and  other  purposes.  We  notice  the 
topic  here,  merely  to  keep  in  view  the  indefinite  power  of 
agriculture  to  improve  soil,  and  increase  and  multiply  its 
productions.  Merely  physical  causes,  such  as  climate, 
temperature,  &c.,  must  always  exert  a  decided  influence 
on  agriculture.  Many  of  tlie  difficulties,  however,  lono- 
regarded  as  insuperable,  are  constantly  yielding  to  the  arts 
and  appliances  of  improved  culture.  Many  ao-ricultural 
products  are  now  nearly  universal,  such  as  the  annual  hay 
grasses,  and  the  cereal  products, —  wheat,  rye,  and  barley; 
corn  too,  the  oat,  the  potatoe,  the  pea,  the  bean,  the  turnip, 
millet,  and  many  other  valuable  agricultural  growths,  are 
now  produced  in  great  abundance,  where  formerly  it  was 
thought  invincible  physical  causes  forbid  their  cultivation. 
All  tending  to  show  the  correctness  of  the  precedino- 
position. 

The  great  object  of  science,  applied  to  agriculture,  is  the 
improvement  of  soils,  and  the  consequent  augmentation  of 
their  productive  power.  Tliere  is  seldom  any  material 
defect  as  it  regards  the  mineral  ingredients  of  soil.  The 
principal  difficulty  relates  to  organic  matter  and  salts,  say 
gein  and  salts.  By  reducing  all  the  elements  of  soil  to 
three  classes,  the  subject  assumes  a  shape  less  complex 
and  ombarrassinp;  to  those  not  in  the  habit  of  makino-  scien- 
tific  distinctions.  Let  the  classes  ha,  first,  silicates,  that  is, 
silicic   acid,    in   union   with  the  several  bases,  as  in  the 


AGRICULTURAL   ADDRESS.  205 

instance  of  simple  minerals.  Secondly,  salts,  as  the  sul- 
phates and  carbonates  generally.  Thirdly,  gein,  as  includ- 
ing all  organic  matter.  Without  the  two  last,  the  first 
class  of  elements  would  remain  inactive,  and  their  mutual 
reaction  upon  each  other,  is  essential  to  the  fertility  sought 
in  soils.  Even  the  second  could  not  secure  fertility,  without 
the  third  in  due  proportion.  The  gein  of  soils  is  undoubt- 
edly, the  direct  basis  of  agriculture ;  and  the  proportion  in 
which  it  exists,  and  ought  to  exist,  is  the  gi-eat  problem 
with  the  farmer.  Tliis  view  of  the  subject,  you  will 
perceive,  throws  us  back  iipon  a  former  postulate, —  that 
organic  decay,  particularly  vegetable  decomposition,  is  the 
great  generator  of  fertility  in  soils ;  and  will  in  every 
country  and  era,  creatively  determine  tlie  amount  of  pro- 
duction. The  vital  power  of  vegetation  must  have  its 
appropriate  conditions,  and  the  practical  tests  of  experience 
evince,  that  what  we  assume,  is  essential  to  its  finding  them. 
If  the  hitherto  unexplored  laws  and  causes  of  fertility,  can 
be  satisfactorily  delineated,  it  will  be  like  the  resolving 
power  of  gravitation  in  astronomy  ; — it  will  decide  every- 
thing else.  And  should  it  be  found,  tliat  these  laws  and 
causes  operate  mainly  by  the  inorganic  elements,  the  gein 
of  soils,  (whose  constituents  are  carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
and  nitrogen,)  as  this  substance  is  inexhaustable  in  quantity 
and  readily  under  the  control  of  husbandry,  the  discovery, 
vitally  affecting  the  life  and  comfort  of  unnumbered 
millions,  is  too  important  to  be  overlooked,  in  investigations 
having  for  their  object  the  improvement  of  agriculture. 
It  is  almost  incredible,  to  what  extent  the  productive  power 
of  soil  may  be  enlarged  by  the  means  thus  suggested,  com- 
bined with  a  proper  system  of  compact  and  vigorous  tillage. 
The  ordinary  capacity  of  the  field  is  compressed  within  the 
limits  of  the  garden.  Too  many  think  an  acre  of  ground 
not  worth  inclosing,  and  yet  it  contains  forty-three  thousand 


206  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

five  hundred  and  sixty  square  feet,  and  may  yield  an  annual 
product  worth  several  hundred  dollars.  In  our  neglect  of 
the  means  of  fertilization,  and  proverbial  inattention  to 
compressed  tillage,  we  meet  with  the  principia  malorum, — 
the  essential  evils  of  our  agricultural  system. 

The  improvement  suggested  is  variously  desiderated  as 
most  important.  It  decides  the  question  oi  food  or  no  food. 
—  Whether  manufactures  shall  be  supplied  with  the  raw 
material,  or  perish.  It  is  always  matter  of  instant  and 
urgent  importance  ;  and  alike  so,  with  producer  and  con- 
sumer. It  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  common  weal  of 
all  concerned.  Agriculture  keeping  pace  with  population 
and  want,  is  the  life-blood  of  the  state.  It  pi-esents  the 
more  cohesive  elements  of  the  civic  organizations  of  every 
country.  It  is  the  hving  source  and  symbol  of  comfort, 
quiet,  and  sufficiency.  It  must  always  furnish  the  substan- 
tial elements  of  gratification.  Whatever  other  evils  may 
exist,  it  throws  up  a  mound  against  the  possible  invasion 
of  want  and  suffei'ing.  On  this  subject  we  have  the  evi- 
dence of  the  world's  history.  In  view  of  these  facts,  how 
grateful  must  it  be  to  know,  that  invariably,  the  useful  in. 
agriculture  and  horticulture,  follows  improved  cultivation 
over  the  face  of  the  world.  The  vine  followed  the  Greeks 
into  Europe.  Wheat,  the  Romans :  cotton,  the  Arabs. 
The  maize  or  corn,  and  potatoe,  the  first  emigrations 
to  Southern  America.  And  similar  demonstrations  are 
going  on  every  day,  over  the  face  of  the  world.  In  this  way, 
the  extension  of  agriculture  over  the  entire  surface  of  the 
cultivable  earth,  would,  no  doubt,  greatly,  almost  infinitely, 
reduce  the  number  and  intensity  of  the  physical,  and  con- 
sequent social  and  moral  evils,  now  assailing  humanity, 
connected  with  climate,  temperature,  causes  of  disease, 
want  and  suffering;  and  the  reasoning  applies  as  truly  to  a 
single  country  (say  our  own)  as  to  the  earth  at  large. 


AOKlCULTUIiAL    ADDRESS.  207 

Indigence  is  the  greatest  evil  of  every  social  system  ; 
vice,  alone,  excepted.  And  where  can  the  adequate  remedy 
be  found,  except  in  increased  cultivation,  as  the  only  basis 
of  increase  in  the  other  departments  of  industry  ?  It  is 
here  we  have  manifest  the  maximum  of  human  interest,  in 
every  sound  aspect. —  The  art  of  arts  by  which  we  live, 
time  has  settled  and  sanctioned  the  supreme  importance  of 
agriculture,  and  shown  how  all  others  are  nourished  at  her 
table! 

No  limit  can  be  set,  no  prediction  oflfered  as  it  regard^ 
the  possible  amount  of  production,  while  the  great  basis 
of  production  is  kept  properly  in  view.  But  blot  out  from 
the  map  of  industrial  enterprise  the  pursuits,  and  gradually 
enlarging  power  of  agriculture,  and  then  look  at  the  sequent 
extinction  of  other  productive  operations  1  Said  a  homely 
poet,  — 

"  If  6un-light  from  the  dial  be, 

But  for  a  moment  banished, 
Tiiru  to  the  silenced  plate,  and  see! 

The  hom-s  themselves  are  vanished." 

All  productive  industry  may  be  reduced  to  a  very  simple 
classification. —  The  necessaries,  the  conveniences,  the 
ornaments,  and  the  luxuries  of  life.  This  classification 
seems  to  exhaust  the  aims  and  purposes  of  production  ; 
and  yet  how  essentially  are  all  these  traceable  to  agriculture  ! 
Assume  the  population  of  the  earth  to  be  ten  hundred 
millions.  Say  each  inhabitant,  upon  an  average  estimate, 
required  only  ten  pounds  sterling  worth  of  food,  for  annual 
subsistence ;  then,  the  annual  production  of  the  globe,  all 
having  a  vegetable  basis,  would  amount  to  ten  billions 
pounds  sterling  each  year,  in  the  article  of  food  only  !  You 
can  readily  deduce  the  necessary  inference  as  to  the  future. 
The  landed  surface  of  the  globe  presents  an  area  of  forty- 
nine  millions  of  square  miles.  Were  this  entire  area 
peopled  everywhere,  as  densely  as  in  England,  and  the 


208  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

average  cultivation  equal,  it  would  support  a  population 
some  fourteen  times  greater  than  that  of  the  wliole  world 
at  present.  That  is,  the  average  agiiculture  of  the  earth's 
surface,  being  equal  to  that  of  England,  it  would  sustain  a 
population  of  about  fourteen  thousand  millions  !  Such  esti- 
mates may  help  us  to  form  some  idea  of  what  the  power  of 
agriculture  might  become,  by  means  of  the  application  of 
science  and  art.  As  it  regards  our  own  section  of  the 
globe,  —  our  country  proper,  with  a  territory  extendino- 
through  some  thirty  degrees  of  latitude,  and  double  the 
number  of  longitude  ;  —  with  an  area  of  about  two  millions 
two  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  —  with  every  variety 
of  soil  and  climate,  —  unrivalled  in  geographical  and  phy- 
sical advantages,  (infinite  in  number  and  variety)  as  a 
productive  nation,  we  have  the  advantage  of  every  other 
on  the  world's  surface,  and  are  capable  of  becomino- 
whatever  we  choose  to  be  ;  and  how  Kentucky,  as  a  section, 
will  compare  witli  the  balance  of  the  territory,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  tell  you. 

Although  agriculture  be  an  essential  element  of  civiliza- 
tion, yet  it  is  equally  true,  that  it  will  always  be  greatly 
influenced  by  the  state  of  society,  and  especially  of  science, 
in  any  country.  Diffused  scientific  infoi'mation  is  essential 
to  perfection  and  finish.  Multiply  common  schools,  hio-h 
schools,  and  colleges  in  a  country,  let  natural  philosophy, 
chemistry,  and  physiology  be  tauglit  extensively  and 
thoroughh"-,  in  connection  with  studies  usually  receivino-  a 
laro-er  share  of  attention,  and  it  will  not  be  lono-  until 
agriculture  will  feel  the  impulse.  This  reciprocity  of 
influence,  and  intro-susception  of  elements,  will  be  obvious 
to  all.  Viewed  in  different  aspects  and  relations,  agriculture 
is  both  cause  and  eff'ect,  as  it  reijards  civilization.  It 
always  precedes,  and  yet  is  always  improved  and  perfected 
by   it.      Agriculture,   meaning  eartli's   cidture,   including 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  209 

field,  forest,  garden  and  landscape,  combines  the  xitile  dulci. 
It  involves  the  elements  of  order,  taste,  and  beauty ; 
forcibly  reminding  us  of  the  classic  traditions,  —  that  the 
leaves  of  the  acanthus  growing  round  a  basket  accidentally 
left  among  them,  suggested,  from  the  finenesss  of  the  efi'ect, 
tlie  first  idea  of  the  Corinthian  entablature ;  and  that  the 
interlacing,  higher  branches  of  a  majestic  grove,  originated 
the  columns  and  arches  of  the  grand  Gothic  catliedral  !  JNor 
is  it  at  all  unlikely  that  our  taste  for  proportion,  order, 
elegance,  and  beauty,  has  been  almost  entirely  excited  and 
formed,  from  the  unconscious  observation  of  tiie  appear- 
ences,  figures,  and  constructions,  found  in  the  vegetable 
world  about  us.  Let  those  who  choose  to  look  upon 
ao-riculture  as  one  of  the  homlier  arts,  do  so  ;  meanwliile, 
those  wlio  are  better  informed,  will  not  fail  to  perceive  the 
belle  alliance  between  it  and  the  arts  of  design  and  orna- 
ment generally.  Even  the  inspired  similitudes,  by  which, 
in  the  revelations  of  Christianity,  the  glory  of  her  triumph 
upon  earth,  and  the  consummation  of  her  hopes  in  heaven, 
are  ima<>'ed  to  human  conception,  are  selected  from  the 
scenes  and  interests  of  vegetable  life,  and  the  laws  and 
relations  of  rural  economy. 

What  truth,  by  its  self-evidence,  is  more  obviously 
above  reasoning,  than  that  the  study  of  nature  tends  to 
enlarge,  soothe,  and  purify  the  mind  ?  What  passage  in  the 
volume  of  nature  can  be  read  Avitliout  interest  ?  Amid 
rural  scenes  and  occupations,  what  significaniic  of  purpose, 
and  grandeur  of  proportion,  arrest  and  entrance  !  Man  is 
in  more  direct  communion  with  nature,  and  his  mental 
habitudes,  the  aft'ections,  and  the  tendencies  of  his  nature, 
develop  more  equally,  and  with  less  of  impulse  and  passion, 
when  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  than  amid  other 
scenes  of  secular  and  social  activity.  The  mind,  in  constant 
contact  wath  the  quiet,  yet  varied  and  picturesque  drapery 
VOL.   II  — 18. 


210  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

of  vegetation,    must   be   insensibly   influenced   by   it,    in 
everything  relating  to  taste,  and  the  gentler  sensitivities  of 
our  nature.     The  fair  and  the  beautiful,  the  uniform  and 
abiding  in  nature  above,  must  be  prolitic  of  the  gentler 
Influences,  and  favorable  to  all  the   kindlier  virtues,  and 
more  endearing  sympathies.     Nature  unperceived,  exerts  a 
chief,  —  a  foremost  influence.    Man  finds  himself  breathing 
an  atmosphere  of  vigorous  thought.     Unobtrusive  it  may 
be,  but  always  ennobling  is  this  fellowship  with  nature. 
The  starry  vigil,  the  stilly  dew,  the  stirless,  brooding  rest 
of  atmosphere,  forest,  and  all,  as  if  hushed  by  the  angel 
Df  repose,  —  the  tender  and  chastened  alternations  of  light 
and   gloom,  must   give   an   elastic   evenness  of  pulse,  a 
springy    quietude    of  emotion,    favorable    to    health    and 
virtue.      The  whole  living  panorama  of  nature  gives  its 
impulse  and  inspiration.     Amid  expansions  of  vernal  luxu- 
riance, unfolding  their  vigor  and  beauty  to  the  eye,  soothed 
by  the  music  of  the  breeze,  the  whisper  of  the  zephyr,  the 
chirp  in  the  grass,  the  hum  in  the  flowers,  the  sonorous 
sounds,  and  sunny  aspects  of  nature,  blending  with   the 
colors  of  the  landscape    and  the  azure  of  heaven,  —  he 
who  does  not  imbibe  pleasure  and  instruction,  must  be  a 
miserable  effigy  of  the  image,  whether  of  God  or  man  ! 
Who  does  not  realize  a  rejuvenescence  of  his  whole  nature 
at  the  approach  of  Spring,  and  under  the  reviving  influence 
of  rural  vernation  ?     Who  does  not  feel  the  freshness  of 
the  mountain,  and  the  gladness  of  the  rill  1     The  life  and 
revelry  of  wood  and  bower  !     The  grand  and  picturesque 
of  nature's  drapery  !     Such  a  scene  must  leave  itself  upon 
the  mind.     What  kind  of  a  heart  is  that,  upon  which  the 
music  of  nature,  the  toned  gladness  of  hill  and  dale,  tlie 
seolian  murmur  of  grove  and   forest,  are  thrown  away  ! 
Have  the  beauty  and  bounteousness  of  nature  been  lavished 
without  meaning  or  moral !     Wliy  this  waste  of  loveliness ; 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  211 

such  grandeur  unenjoyed  !     Existing  in  natural  fellowship 
with  earth,  air,  and  ocean,  and  in  constant  intercourse  with 
the  multitudinous  forms  of  magnificence,  beauty  and  life, 
activity,  passion  and  enjoyment,  man  has  revealed  to  him, 
Avhether  he  imbibe  it  or  not,  the  true  poetry  of  nature. 
Here,  he  meets  too  with  the  primal 'sources  of  intelligence, 
and  all  about  him  becomes  the  alphabet  of  useful  know- 
ledge.    Who  can  be  ignorant  of  the  fact,  that  the  physio- 
loo-ical  structure,  and  pathological  habitudes  and  affections 
of  our  physical  nature,  affect  the  character  and  destinies 
of  mind  ;  and  yet  how  vastly,  although  it  may  be  imper- 
ceptibly,  are  these  influenced  by  the  inorganic,    animal, 
and  veffetable  worlds  about  us  ?     And  whv  should  it  be 
regarded,  by  many,  as  strange  ?     A  sylvan,  intended  as 
God  himself  declared,  to  be  an  agricultural  scene,  with  all 
the  attraction  of  vegetable  supply  and  vernal  beauty,  was 
the  theater  of  man's  creation,  and  the  index  of  his  earthly 
destiny  ;  and  would  not  a  beneficent  Creator  pre-adapt  his 
nature  to  the  aspects  and  phenomena  of  the  physical  world 
about  him  ? 

With  the  history  of  agriculture,  as  a  simple  registry  of 
facts,  you  are  too  familiar  to  allow  its  introduction.  Its 
natural  history  and  philosophy  are  more  important  here.  It 
is  the  first,  the  oldest,  and  the  broadest  of  all  the  fields  of 
human  activity.  It  has  always  given  direction  to  the  course 
of  human  destiny.  It  is  the  great  foundation  interest  of 
human  society.  It  has  always  existed,  a  fundamental 
arrangement  in  the  economy  of  human  life.  It  appears  in 
the  first,  and  every  subsequent  era  of  human  history,  as  the 
great  sustaining  basis  of  supply  and  sufficiency  as  it  regards 
both  want  and  gratification.  It  is  a  grand  primeval  inter- 
est, vitally  affecting  the  very  existence  of  the  living  millions 
of  each  successive  generation.  It  alone  meets  the  first  great 
want  of  man.     It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  in  the  only  history 


212  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

we   have  of  man's  creation,  one  of  the  final  causes,  —  a 
grand  primal  reason  for  his  creation,  is  connected  with  the 
culture  of  the  earth.     When  God  saw  there  was  not  a  man 
to  till  the  ground,  he  proceeded  to  create  man,  and  placed 
him  in  the  garden,  "  to  dress  and  keep  it."     Before  sin  had 
entered  our  world,  before  death  had  become  a  part  of  the 
physiology  of  man,  Divine  appointment  had  connected  his 
physical  and  social  destiny  with  the  cultivation  of   the  soil. 
Agriculture,  thus  coeval  with  man's  existence,  and  connatu- 
ral Avith  his  being,  has  furnished  not  merely  the  antecedents 
of  important  events  in  history,  but  of  great  historical  eras. 
It  claims  an  originality,  combination,  and  permanence  of 
relation,  to  which  no  other  art  or  pursuit  of  man,  can  lay 
claim.     It  may  be  depressed  in  a  thousand  ways,  but  can 
only  be  destroyed  by  the  extinction  of  our  race  !     As  the 
central  point  of  unity  in  the  whole   field  of  production, 
vitally  aflFecting  the  internal  economy  of  society,  it  must  be 
received  as  the  genus,  with  regard  to  every  species  of  pro- 
ductive labor.     To  every  man,  it  is  nature's  first  mandate, 
and  obedience  always  practicable.     It  marked  the  dawn, 
has  distinguislied  the  progress,  and  is  destined  to  crown  the 
last  stage  of  human  improvement.     It  has  ever  been  the 
grand  school  of  invention,  the  birthplace  of  all  the  useful, 
and  nearly  all  the  other  arts.    It  is  the  great  regulating  prin- 
ciple of  vitality  in  the  growth  of  nations,  and  the  expansion 
of  civic  improvement.     All  history  shows  it  to  be  the  true, 
and  only  universal  nursery  of  civilization  ;  and  in  every 
respect,  the  most  fundamental  arrangement  in  the  economy 
of  human  life. 

In  aofriculture,  we  find  the  elements  of  duration  and 
increase  as  it  regards  all  production.  Even  change  gives 
stability,  and  strength  is  derived  from  decline,  in  the  ever 
varying  vicissitudes  of  fortune  and  trial,  marking  its  history. 
In  the  whole  drama  of  national  story,  the  truth  obtrudes 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  213 

itself  upon  our  notice,  in  all  countries  and  every  era,  that 
the  basis  of  ph3'sical  improvement  is  to  be  sought  in  agri- 
culture ;  and  as  intellectual  improvement  can  only  keep  pace 
with  physical,  it  must  be  seen  at  once,  that  the  intellectual 
and  moral  character  of  a  people,  must  be  largely  determined 
by  the  relative  state  of  this  great  economic  interest.  You 
point  us  to  commerce  and  manufactures,  trade  and  exchange, 
the  productiveness  of  the  arts,  professional  skill,  and  all 
the  thousand  etceteras,  to  which  the  hopeful  industry,  or 
desifi-ning  cupidity  of  man  has  given  birth ;  but  did  you  ever 
reflect  how  exactly  all  these,  especially  the  principal, — 
manufactures  and  commerce,  co-ordinate  witli  the  amonnt  of 
agricultural  production  ?  What  did  Babylon,  Tyre,  and 
Carthage  know  of  commerce,  for  example,  until  the  plains 
of  Messopotamia,  and  the  valley  of  the  Euplirates,  the 
fertile  districts  of  Phenicia  at  the  eastern  head  of  the 
Mediterranean,  the  rich  fields  of  Fez  and  Morocco,  and  the 
Avhole  northern  coast  of  Africa,  were  burdened  with  the 
varied  products  of  agriculture  ?  In  all  tlieir  conventional 
aspects,  there  exists  the  most  intimate  affinity,  (shall  we 
call  it  appetency  ?)  between  manufjictures  and  commerce, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  au'riculture,  on  the  other.  And  bv 
extending  the  examination,  you  find  agriculture  in  close  and 
almost  vital  conjugation  with  all  the  arts  and  sciences  of 
life.  All  the  arts  of  human  subsistence  and  comfort,  are 
esseniially  incidental  to  agriculture.  The  primary  interests 
of  production  must  always  be  connected  with  the  soil,  and 
all  other  forms  must  be  lateral  and  subordinate,  or  want  of 
harmony,  and  unhealthy  action,  will  be  the  result.  Com- 
merce, manufactures,  and  the  arts,  flourish  best  when  they 
turn  to  agriculture,  as  the  common  replenisher  of  the  whole 
field  of  life. 

We  wish  the  subject  of  agriculture  not  only  to  be  looked 
at,  but  carefully  examined  in  aitu,  in  the  relation  it  sustains 


214  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

to  all  the  departments,  subdivisions,  and  more  minute 
means  and  methods  of  production.  We  can  only  glance, 
however,  at  a  few,  and  often  \mrelated  particulars.  When 
Greece  and  Rome,  in  their  better  days,  were  found  in  the 
field,  amid  the  scenes,  and  devoted  to  the  pursuits  of  hus- 
bandry, wedded  to  the  farm,  the  vineyard,  the  garden,  the 
rural  liomestead,  they  were  free,  virtuous,  and  invincible. 
But  when  Greece  and  Rome  were  afterward  found  in 
crowded  cities,  and  luxurious  capitals,  they  began  to  degene- 
rate ;  and  in  the  instance  of  both,  a  single  capital  became 
the  grave  of  Empire  !  Take  the  mythology  only  of  Phe- 
nicia,  Egypt,  India,  Greece,  and  Rome,  and  regarding  it  as 
the  exponent  of  the  intellectual  character  of  a  people,  it  may 
be  seen  at  once,  to  what  extent  agriculture  gave  character  to 
their  fortunes  and  destinies.  The  finest  forms  of  civiliza- 
tion known  to  history,  found  among  the  Celtic  and  Teutonic 
races,  have  always  been  essentially  rural.  The  pioneers 
and  missionaries,  alike  of  civilization  and  Christianity,  have 
never,  in  any  age  or  part  of  the  world,  been  able  to  affect 
the  civic  improvement  or  Christianization  of  savage  and 
nomadic  tribes,  until  they  first  succeeded  in  attaching  them 
to  the  soil,  as  fixed  rural  cultivators.  Where  is  patriotism 
likely  to  be  so  strong  and  vigorous,  as  in  the  country 
where  the  homes  of  the  population  are  surrounded  by  the 
comforts  and  elegancies  of  rural  cultivation,  creating  the 
most  enduring  local  attachments  ? 

Were  agriculture  allowed  its  proper  place,  and  permitted 
to  fulfill  its  purposes,  it  would,  in  every  country,  affect  the 
entire  civic  organization  in  some  of  its  most  importaul 
features.  Take  the  case  of  the  learned  professions  so 
called,  as  law,  medicine,  and  the  pulpit,  not  only  burdened 
by  supernumeraiy  thousands,  embracing  them  for  a  liveli- 
hood, but  suffering  disreputation  and  inevitable  disgrace, 
by  a  thronging  multitude  of  mediocre  aspirants,  who,  under 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  21. '> 

a  different  state  of  things,  would  have  added  dignity  ant 
sufficiency  to  place  and  station,  in  a  sphere  of  applicatiori 
Avhere  they  might  have  excelled,  and  surrounding  them 
selves  Avith  the  attractions  of  taste  and  utility,  might  hav( 
maintained  an  enviable  position  in  the  social  scene.  It 
not  proudly  high,  at  least,  not  meanly  low. 

The  facts  we  adduce,  although  not,  in  many  instances 
related  among  themselves,  bear,  nevertheless,  upon  the 
staple  discussion  —  how  far  science  and  art  may  increase 
the  capacity  of  agriculture  to  produce  ?  And  it  is  time, 
perhaps,  we  were  making  the  application  of  general  data 
and  reasoning,  to  American,  and  particularly  Kentucky 
agriculture.  Assume  the  wheat  crop  of  the  United  States 
to  average  twenty  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  the  corn,  the  rye, 
and  the  oat  crops,  thirty  ;  — the  potato  crop,  two  hundred. 
Take  now,  the  present  aggregate  of  production,  at  current 
average  prices ;  then  assume  further,  that  improved  soil, 
and  methods  of  production,  shall  increase  the  average  grain 
crop,  only  six  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  potato  crop, 
but  twenty-five  bushels,  and  these  items  alone,  would  add 
to  the  annual  aggregate  income,  about  a  hundred  millions 
of  dollars  1 

Apply  similar  data  and  reasoning  to  the  entire  hay  and 
root  culture  of  the  United  States  ;  the  tobacco,  hemp,  rice, 
cotton,  sugar,  and  other  valuable  products,  and  you  have 
at  least  fifty  millions  more.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  now, 
that  this  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions,  is  simply  the 
interest  upon  the  additional  capital  created  by  the  increased 
productiveness  of  land  and  labor,  by  the  method  we  have 
been  recommending.  The  capital,  you  can  calculate  at 
your  leisure.  This  is  not  poetry,  nor  yet  a  South  Sea 
dream.  It  is  a  plain  question  of  facts  and  figures.  Can 
the  average  grain  crop  throughout  the  United  States,  be 
increased  six  bushels  per  acre  ?     The  potato  crop,  twenty- 


216  AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS. 

five  ?  And  other  items  of  agricultual  production,  in  pro- 
portion ?  If  so,  oii  the  ordinary  principles  of  political 
economy,  the  result  is  mathematically  demonstrable. 

Still  further,  take  the  several  States  of  the  nation,  the 
character  and  productive  power  of  the  soil  in  each,  the 
kinds  of  production,  &c.,  and  in  striking  the  dividend,  say 
what  portion  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions  would 
fall  to  the  share  of  Kentucky  ?  Reduce  our  estimate,  even 
one  half,  and  yet,  how  incalculably  would  the  State  be 
enriched  !  Kentucky  is  essentially  an  agricultural  State  ; 
and  as  a  State,  can  never  be  anything  else.  And  as  a 
State,  she  must  adopt  a  plan,  (and  there  is  no  time  to  be 
lost)  —  a  plan,  comprehensive,  stable,  and  effective;  the 
results  of  which,  will  be,  to  clierish  and  develop  her  agri- 
cultural I'esources  ;  or  she  must  tamely  submit  to  become 
but  a  third  rate  member  of  the  great  family  of  South  West- 
ern States.  As  things  now  are,  a  large  proportion  of  our 
cultivators,  for  want  of  proper  stimulus,  ambition,  and 
encouragement  about  them,  instead  of  enriching,  and  so 
cultivatino-  one  acre  as  to  render  its  production  equal  to 
two  or  three,  are  annually  leaving  the  State  by  emigra- 
^;ion  ;  seeking  elsewhere,  what  they  despair  of  finding 
here. 

In  relation  to  agricultural  improvement  among  us,  the 
majorily,  perhaps,  are  ready  to  approve  and  applaud  ;  but 
this  does  not  meet  the  emergency.  Mere  otiose  assent  will 
not  do.  Action,  prompt  and  decisive,  is  called  for.  We 
have  been  amateur  theorists,  and  holiday  patrons  long 
enouoh  !  That  Kentucky  should  do  something  for  agri- 
culture, and  do  it  soon,  seems  to  be  admitted  by  all. 
Conviction  and  feeling  to  this  efiect,  are  strong  and  preva- 
lent throughout  the  State.  The  obvious,  urgent  necessity, 
of  a  rigidly  scientific  —  geological  survey  of  the  State, 
developing  its  natural  resources,  for  productive  purposes, 


AGRICULTURAL  ADDRESS.  217 

has  been  so  often  and  so  ably  presented  to  the  notice  of 
the  legislature  of  Kentucky,  I  despair  investing  the  topic 
with  any  additional  interest  or  urgency,  by  anything  I 
could  add  on  the  subject.  The  light  that  would  thus  be 
thrown  upon  our  natural  resources,  in  relation  particularly 
to  the  iron  and  coal,  imbedded  as  we  know,  in  inexhausti- 
ble quantities,  beneath  a  large  portion  of  our  territorial 
surface,  and  also  in  reference  to  kindred  mineral  treasures, 
the  varieties  of  soil  in  different  sectional  locahties,  tOi>-ether 
.with  the  means  and  methods  by  which  both  —  all,  mio-ht 
be  turned  to  most  effective  account,  would  soon,  not  only 
indemnify  the  State  on  the  score  of  expense,  but  augment 
her  productive  power,  almost  incalculably.  Let  a  thoroui»-h 
and  skillful  survey  of  this  kind  be  instituted  by  the  legisla- 
ture, and  prosecuted  by  a  competent  corps  of  engineers 
and  scientific  persons,  for  minute,  accurate  investigation 
and  repoit.  Let  the  survey  proceed  under  the  supervision 
of  an  enlightened  board  of  commissioners,  constituting  a 
regular,  scientitic  bureau,  at  the  seat  of  government, 
receiving  quarterly  reports  from  the  corps  of  survey,  and 
reporting  (themselves)  annually  to  tlie  legislature.  Let 
such  a  policy  be  adopted,  and  vigorously  acted  upon,  and 
before  the  survey  is  completed,  the  entire  system  of  produc- 
tion in  the  State,  will  assume  a  new  aspect.  New  sources 
of  wealth  will  be  brought  to  light.  New  chamiels  of  pro- 
ductive industry  will  be  opened.  Extensive  demand  will 
be  immediately  created  for  skillful  voluntary  labor,  without 
which,  no  improvement  can  take  place,  and  the  state  must 
always  labor  under  a  dead  palsy.  The  feudal  policy, 
as  found  in  Kentucky,  in  the  satrapies  and  principalities 
of  landed  lordship,  by  which  production  and  consumption, 
are  now  so  fatally  obstructed  and  impoverished,  would 
yield  to  a  more  natural  state  of  things.  The  unmeani no- 
madness  by  which  half  the  best  lands  of  the  state,  are 

VOL.    II — 19. 


218  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

rendered,  not  only  utterly  unproductive,  but  a  constant 
source  of  pauperism  within,  and  banishnaent  of  the  best 
class  of  laborers,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state,  would  be 
too  well  understood  to  produce  further  mischief.  The 
sagacity  of  self-interest  would  soon  teach  the  lesson, —  that 
land  is  onlj'  valuable  in  the  ratio  of  its  actual  contribution 
to  the  sum  and  purposes  of  production.  Who  can  estimate 
the  effect  of  a  survey,  such  as  we  propose,  upon  the  eastern 
division  of  the  state  ?  This  whole  division,  from  the  Ohio 
river  south  to  the  Tennessee  line,  would  soon  become  a 
rich  agricultural  and  manufacturing  region.  The  coal,  the 
iron,  the  salt,  the  copperas,  the  nitre,  and  other  mineral 
treasures  of  this  entire  region,  together  with  fine  soil,  fine 
timber,  abundance  of  water,  and  all  their  kindred  etceteras, 
are  destined  to  render  it  one  of  the  most  productive  divisions' 
of  the  state.  In  the  articles  of  iron  and  coal,  no  limit  can 
be  fixed  to  the  natural  wealth  of  the  state.  With  the  finest 
geographical  advantages  —  a  soil  not  surpassed  by  that  of 
Tuscany  or  Andalusia  two  thousand  years  ago, —  with  a 
territory  of  forty  thousand  five  hundred  square  miles  — 
forty  thousand  of  which  may  be  cultivated  to  advantage 
—  with  a  population  of  eight  hundred  thousand  —  with 
credit  and  character  at  home  and  abroad,  as  managing  your 
affairs  with  economy,  and  maintaining  honor  and  good  faith 
in  all  your  relations  —  with  such  advantages  properly 
improved,  what  may  you  not  become,  as  a  state  ? 

The  two  great  topics,  with  regard  to  which  we  are  most 
deficient,  are  education  and  agriculture  :  (for  hitherto,  you 
have  not  recognized  the  former  as  including  the  latter.) 
Much  has  recently  been  done  for  both. —  For  education,  by 
the  State.  For  Agriculture,  by  the  Association  I  have  the 
honor  of  representing  on  this  occasion  ;  and  by  fractional 
portions  of  the  people  ;  but  much  remains  to  be  done.  Our 
system  of  popular  education  is  greatly  deficient,  and  as  yet, 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  219 

has  not  the  suffrage  of  popular  feeling  in  the  state.  Agri- 
culture has  derived  no  practical  encouragement  from  the 
state  at  all.  That  something  should  be  done  fur  the  latter, 
and  something  further  for  the  former,  is  felt,  it  is  believed, 
by  all,  and  questioned  by  none.  In  view  of  the  common 
welfare,  these  topics  present  themselves  as  desiderata, 
requiring  the  most  mature  —  the  gravest  consideration.  I 
ask  attention  to  this  whole  subject,  suggestively.  I  have 
nothing  formal  to  propose.  As  the  organ  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society  of  Kentucky,  I  have  been  left  perfectly 
free,  to  offer  opinion,  or  avow  conviction,  as  I  might  think 
proper.  It  is  almost  a  matter  of  course,  that  a  variety  of 
plans  should  have  been  offered  for  the  action  of  the  state, 
should  the  legislature  be  inclined  to  entertain  the  question 
in  any  form.  Among  these,  it  has  been  proposed  to 
establish  an  independent  school  or  college,  as  an  institute 
of  Agriculture,  endowed  by  the  state,  and  under  its  control, 
and  the  project,  I  believe,  has  numerous  able  advo'-^^tes,  in 
different  sections  of  the  State.  Another  plan  has  been,  for 
the  state  to  endow  professorships  of  agriculture,  in  the 
colleges  of  the  state  generally,  with  a  view  to  scientific 
instruction  in  this  department  of  knowledge.  Others  have 
suggested,  the  endowment  by  the  state  of  a  single  profes- 
soi'ship  in  some  one  of  our  colleges.  If  the  state  is 
prepared  for  it,  the  first  plan  —  the  establishment  of  au 
agricultural  college,  where  the  whole  range  of  instruction 
—  the  several  departments  of  natural  science  especially, 
shall  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject  of  agriculture,  is 
no  doubt  the  best.  The  second  plan,  might  undoubtedly 
be  rendered  extensively  available,  should  the  bounty  of  the 
state,  be  so  extended  to  the  several  colleges  of  the  state. 
Or  finally,  much  might  be  effected  for  the  interests  of 
agriculture  by  the  endowment  of  a  single  professorship,  in 
some  one  of  our  colleges.     The  utility  of  either  project. 


220  AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS. 

would  depend  almost  entirely  upon  its  constitution  and 
management.  Unless  well  constructed  and  managed,  fail- 
ure would,  no  doubt,  mark  the  result.  On  the  other  hand, 
rightly  constructed,  and  well  conducted,  an  independent 
college,  or  a  single  department  in  one  or  more  of  the 
colleges  of  the  state,  would,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe,  secure  the  object  aimed  at.  Should  the  establish- 
ment of  a  professorship,  in  some  one,  or  several  of  our 
colleges,  be  preferred  to  a  separate  institute,  it  will  be  well 
worth  while  to  inquire,  whether  a  single  professorship  of 
agriculture,  as  commonly  understood,  would  meet  the 
wants  of  the  people  of  Kentucky  ?  Are  we  sufficiently 
advanced  for  this  ?  Is  sufficient  interest  felt  in  the  state  to 
justify  an  attempt  to  reach  the  first  object,  without  interme- 
diate preliminary  steps?  Would  not  a  professorship  of 
geology,  chemistry,  and  agriculture,  be  preferable,  as  an 
initiatory  step  ?  Whether  the  professorship  be  in  all,  or 
one  of  your  colleges,  should  not  its  organization  aim  first, 
at  the  study  of  geology  and  chemistry,  as  applicable  to 
ao-riculture,  and  when  the  advanced  state  of  information  on 
the  general  subject,  the  resort  of  pupils  in  sufficient  num- 
bers, and  the  popular  interest  felt,  shall  require  it,  then, 
let  agriculture  be  erected  into  a  separate,  substantive 
department. 

Long  before  the  agitation  of  this  subject  in  Kentucky,  or 
perhaps,  in  any  other  section  of  our  country,  to  any 
considerable  extent,  my  attention  was  practically  directed 
%  to  the  subject,  in  all  its  more  important  details,  at  least. 
During  my  connection  with  a  college  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, some  years  since,  I  succeeded  in  the  establishment 
of  an  agricultural  professorship  in  the  institution  —  the  first 
attempt  of  the  kind,  I  believe,  ever  made  in  this  country. 
The  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  was  so  favorably  impressed, 
as  to  grant  a  donation  of  five   thousand  dollars ;    and  I 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  221 

receivjd  numerous  letters  from  some  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  in  the  United  States,  warmly  expressing 
interest  and  approval,  with  regard  to  this,  then  novel 
experiment.  In  a  letter  addressed  me  by  Ex-President 
Madison,  he  says,  —  "It  gives  me  pleasure  to  find  that 
the  trustees  are  about  to  attach  to  the  institution,  an 
ao-ricultural  department, — an  improvement  well  meriting  a 
place  among  the  practical  ones,  which  the  lights  of  the  age, 
and  the  genius  of  our  country,  are  adding  to  the  ordinary 
course  of  public  instruction.  I  wish  I  could  give  value  to 
my  commendation,  by  pointing  out  the  best  mode  of  adapt- 
ing the  experiment  to  its  useful  object."  The  venerable 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrolton,  wrote  me  on  the  occasion,  as 
follows,  alluding  to  the  fact,  that  the  professorship  had 
received  his  name,  as  the  "Carroll  Institute  of  Agricul- 
ture," he  remarks,  —  "I  consider  it  a  distinguished  honor 
conferred  upon  me,  and  it  is  indeed  surprising,  that  7/our 
college  should  be  the  first  to  establish  a  professorship,  for 
teaching  and  diffusing  the  science  of  agriculture,  so  essen- 
tial to  the  welfare  of  every  country,  particularly  the  United 
States.  Great  advantages  will  undoubtedly  be  derived 
from  the  institution.  That  such  may  be  reaped,  and  the 
example  you  have  set,  be  followed  by  other  colleges,  are 
my  ardent  wishes."  In  a  letter  addressed  me  by  Chief 
Justice  Marshall,  he  says,  "  That  agriculture  is  a  science, 
in  which  society  is  deeply  interested,  no  man  will  deny, 
and  that  it  may  be  greatly  improved  by  scientific  I'esearches, 
will,  I  presume,  be  generally  admitted.  A  student  may 
certainly  derive  advantages  from  such  a  department.  It 
seems  to  me  to  be  connected  with  the  department  of  chem- 
istry. Such  a  professorship  may,  I  should  think,  furnish 
valuable  information  to  the  public."  In'a  letter  from  John 
Quincy  Adams,  he  remarks,  "  The  institution  of  a  profes- 
sorship of  agriculture  in  your  college,  I  believe,  will  be 


222  AGRICULTUKAL  ADDRESS. 

attended  with  salutary  effects,  and  a  similar  professorsliip, 
at  other  colleges  in  our  country,  would  constitute  an 
improvement  of  the  system  of  education  pursued  in  their 
halls."  In  a  letter  addressed  me  by  De  Witt  Clinton,  and 
only  a  short  time  before  his  death,  he  expresses  the  opinion, 
"  That  a  complete  course  of  agricultural  education  should 
be  taught,  developing  the  principles  of  the  science,  illus- 
trating the  practice  of  the  art,  and  restoring  the  first  and  best 
pursuit  of  man,  to  that  intellectual  rank  which  it  ought  to 
occupy  in  the  scale  of  human  estimation.  As  agriculture 
is  a  science  as  well  as  an  art,  the  benefit  of  such  an  institu- 
tion must  be  great  and  extensive."  Mr.  Clay,  of  our  own 
state,  in  a  letter  I  received  from  him  on  the  subject, 
observes,  (writing  from  Washington  city,)  "I  think  such 
a  professorship,  properly  filled,  and  its  duties  performed 
with  zeal  and  industry,  would  be  productive  of  much 
benefit,  and  it  would  be  no  where  better  situated,  than  in 
the  fertile  reo-ions  beyond  the  mountains.  It  should  be  the 
leading  object  to  teach  the  practical  application  of  chemistry 
to  aijriculture." 

I  have  quoted  from  the  letters  of  these  distinguished 
scholars,  statesmen,  and  public  economists,  only  those 
portions  which  relate  directly  to  the  abstract  propriety, 
and  probable  utility,  of  agricultural  professorships  in  col- 
leges. Abstractly,  you  perceive,  all  are  in  favor  of  the 
policy.  The  when,  the  where,  and  the  hoiv,  would,  of 
course,  have  been  made  a  separate  question  by  each  of  the 
writers ;  and  will  be  separately  considered  by  you.  Sup- 
posing the  state  of  Kentucky  inclined  to  do  anything  in  the 
premises,  I  have  no  personal  preferences  as  to  localit)',  or 
mode  of  operation  ;  and  the  only  conviction  I  feel  any 
interest  in  avowing  is,  that  in  the  present  state  of  the 
science  and  art  among  us,  any  attempt  at  scientific  instruc- 
tion, should  aim,  principally,  at  the  application  of  chemistry 


AGRICULTURAL    ADDRESS.  223 

to  agriculture,  as  the  best  means  of  diffusing  available 
information  on  the  subject.  The  relation  and  application 
of  geology  and  mineralogy,  would,  of  course,  be  included. 
With  these  remarks  I  have  no  more  to  say  on  the  subject, 
here  or  elsewhere,  and  shall  cheerfully  submit  to  the 
decision  of  public  opinion. 

One  other  chief  item,  and  we  are  done.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  many  of  us  are  in  the  habit  of  deferring  to 
opinions  and  prejudices  adverse  to  labor,  and  but  too 
prevalent  in  most  of  our  circles, —  looking  upon  labor  as 
unworthy  the  dignity  and  hopes  of  social  cultivation,  except 
in  particular  classes  of  general  society  ;  and  who,  on  this 
very  account,  are  regarded  as  existing  in  a  state  of  relative 
serfhood,  in  relation  to  the  other  classes.  Deference,  wo 
say,  to  such  prejudices,  existing  only  in  the  vulgar  inferi- 
ority of  paraded  wealth,  and  the  vagrancy  of  sentimental 
idlers,  it  is  to  be  feared,  exerts  no  small  influence,  in 
withholding  many  from  proper  action  and  effort,  in  relation 
to  the  great  economic  interest  we  have  been  advocating. 
Let  us  not,  however,  be  discouraged.  God  and  nature, 
truth  and  history,  all  point  to  labor,  as  that  without  which, 
the  requirements  of  human  destiny  can  never  be  fulfilled. 

Labor  is  the  great  law  of  human  improvement.  It  alone 
gives  man  his  proper  place  in  the  world.  God  intended 
our  world  as  the  school  of  industry.  Life,  with  man,  is  a 
dispensation  of  labor.  Whether  physically  or  intellectually 
considered,  labor  is  the  great  functional  vocation  of  man. 
It  has  always  been  the  scepter  of  power  and  influence  upon 
the  face  of  our  planet.  It  connects  itself  with  tlie  secular 
resources,  and  moral  feelings  of  every  country.  It  is  not 
only  man's  terrestial  destiny,  but  is,  as  we  have  seen,  in 
direct  harmony  with  his  heavenly  relations — the  final  pur- 
poses of  his  being.  What  is  all  history,  but  the  record  of 
labor  ?     What  historic  antiquity,  but  its  ruins  ?     What  is 


224  AGRICULTURAL   ADDRESS. 

there  in  it,  ennobling  our  world,  not  the  fruit  of  labor? 
What,  but  labor,  has  stamped  upon  the  face  of  the  earth, 
the  impress  of  man's  intelligence  ?  It  is  by  the  ministry 
of  labor,  men  are  made.  It  is  only  by  labor,  the  laws  of 
character  are  determined.  Its  tendency  is,  to  invigorate, 
enlarge,  and  elevate  the  whole  man.  Who  so  likely  to 
feel  an  interest  in  the  order  and  welfare  of  society,  as 
those  who  create  and  sustain,  the  one  and  the  other,  by 
labor  ?  An  honest  laborer  is  indefeasibly  noble,  and  we 
trust  him  involuntarily.  The  man  who  toils  for  daily  bread, 
and  the  man  who  toils  for  the  light  and  guidance  of  mind, 
we  revere.  While  on  the  other  hand,  the  man  who  earns 
nothing,  having  it  in  his  power  to  do  so,  cannot  in  the  eye 
of  sound  philosophy,  be  considered,  as  either  virtuous  or 
respectable. —  He  is  neither.  The  man  who  habitually 
violates  the  law  of  industry,  is  unw^orthy  of  being  trusted. 
Life,  by  God's  own  appointment,  is  a  ministration  of  toil 
and  endeavor,  and  he  who  declines  the  probation,  and 
resorts  to  other  expedients,  as  the  means  of  subsistence, 
outlaws  himself  from  the  pale  of  worth  and  virtue,  and 
society  is  called  upon  by  his  own  challenge,  to  treat  him 
accordingly!  The  true  dignity  of  labor  is  admitted  —  is 
felt  by  every  well-ordered  mind,  in  every  social  scene. 
Where  do  you  look  for  manly  energy,  lofty  talent,  and 
unbending  virtue,  the  nobler  endeavors,  and  higher  efforts 
of  human  achievement  ?  Who,  but  fulfill  the  conditions 
of  human  welfare  ?  Where  do  you  expect  high-minded 
resolve,  and  moral  elevation,  force  of  character,  and  rugged 
manhood  of  purpose  and  intellect  ?  Upon  whom  would 
you  rely,  to  further  the  progress,  and  advance  the  well- 
being  of  society  ?  Would  you  look  among  those  who  have 
spent  life  without  care  or  occupation  ?  Would  you  look 
to  the  schools  of  ease  and  self-indulgence  ?  Would  you 
appeal  to  the  leisured  opulence,  or  unchallenged  indolence,. 


AGRICULTURAL   ADDRESS.  226 

with  which  our  world  abounds  ?  Ratlier,  would  you  not 
look  to  those,  and  those  only,  who  by  labor,  have  made  the 
earth  ours?  —  The  theater  and  means  of  enjoyment  and 
usefulness.  Would  not  your  appeal  be  to  those,  who  by 
the  ministry  of  labor,  supply  alike  the  highest  and  the 
lowest  wants  of  humanity  — constantly  achieving  individual 
and  social  good, —  the  good  both  of  body  and  mind ; — 
diffusing  the  elements  of  happiness  everywhere,  and  by 
all  means ;  and  thus  gathering  about  themselves  the  only 
veritable  distinctions  and  signatures  of  manly  worth  and 
moral  virtue  ?  In  conclusion,  how  forcibly  does  such  a 
view  of  the  subject,  remind  us  of  a  maxim  of  Revelation, 
the  relevancy  of  which,  no  one  will  question! — It  is, 
*<that  if  any  man  will  not  work,  neither  shall  he  eat."  A 
truth  not  more  certainly  proclaimed  from  heaven,  than  it 
is  sure  to  find  an  echo  in  every  honest  heart ! 


CENTENARY  OF  METHODISM. 


BRIEF    ADDRESS 


DECEMBER  25,  1839. 


'ISp^ 


Cnitnurg   0f  lldl]0ljism. 


The  object  of  our  meeting  this  morning  is  special  and 
peculiar.  It  is  in  commemoration  of  the  past,  and  at  the 
same  time,  with  no  less  reference  to  the  future.  One 
hundred  years  since,  in  1739,  the  great  Methodist  body- 
had  its  first  organization,  among  a  select  few  of  the  ahtmni, 
and  amid  the  academic  halls  and  groves  of  the  mother- 
university  of  England.  This  then,  is  i\\Q  first  centennial 
year  of  our  existence,  and  we  would  cherish  and  distinguish 
it  accordingly.  Again,  on  this  day  fifty-five  years  ago, 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States, 
was  organized  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  by  an  authorized 
deputation  from  Mr.  Wesley,  and  the  European  body  in 
connection  with  him ;  and  hence,  we  have  deemed  this  day 
of  the  year  peculiarly  appropriate  for  our  celebration, 

"We  repeat,  therefore,  we  meet  in  commemoi'ation  of  the 

Origin  of  Wesleyan  Methodism.     And  in   doing  so,  we 

unite  with  our  trans- Atlantic  brethren  of  the  great  Methodist 

family,  and  all  other  divisions  of  it  throughout  the  world. 

In    order,   however,    that   the   heart   may   engage   in   the 

celebration  upon  which  we  are  entering,  it  is  necessary 

that  i\\Q  judgment  approve.     And  that  this  may  be  so,  it  is 

further  necessary,  that  we  be  definitely  informed  of  the 

objects  and  interests  involved.     And  to  eflfect  this,  so  far  as 

any  present  may  need   information,  we   submit  a  brief 

229 


230  CENTENARY    OF    METHODItJM. 

statement;  glancing,  comprehensively,  at  the  whole  subject. 
Not  indeed,  in  the  shape  of  a  formal  address  —  not  with 
anything  like  the  formality  of  a  speech,  but  with  the 
brevity  of  narration  and  argument  belonging  to  a  mere 
preface  or  introduction,  to  be  followed  by  appeals  of  a 
somewhat  different  character,  but  perhaps,  much  more 
interesting  to  your  feelings. 

That  the  centennial  year  of  our  denominational  existence, 
should  become  memorable  in  our  calendar,  is,  to  say  the 
least,  natural  and  befitting.  Events  infinitely  less  useful 
and  illustrious  than  the  birth  of  Wesleyan  Methodism, 
annually  become  the  subjects  of  periodical  or  occasional 
celebration,  in  this,  and  every  other  country ;  and  the 
effect  may  be  considered  as  decidedly  beneficial,  and  worthy 
of  commendation.  Numerous  examples  and  precedents  of 
Divine  appointment,  as  well  as  secular  ones,  originating  in 
the  prudential  discernment  of  the  wise  and  good,  might 
be  instanced,  but  the  limits  of  a  sketch  forbid.  The 
Jubilee-reverence  of  a  great  event —  the  birth  of  a  great 
people  —  the  hundredth  birth-day  anniversary  of  the  great 
Wesleyan  family,  now  spread  out  upon  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  earth,  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  salutary 
influence  upon  the  character  and  fortunes  of  the  disciples 
and  friends  of  a  system  that  can  never  be  reviewed 
without  admiration,  and  that  we  are  anxious  to  per- 
petuate by  all  the  means  in  our  power.  We  take  it  for 
granted,  that  your  views  and  feelings  have  already  done  the 
subject  justice,  in  the  main,  if  not  in  detail.  Bear  in  mind 
then,  that  we  meet  to  discharge  a  debt,  both  of  gratitude 
and  service.  We  would  erect  a  monument  for  the  past,  and 
an  altar  for  the  future  !  It  is  a  covenant  dedication,  by 
which  we  consecrate  ourselves  to  the  cause  of  God  and 
virtue,  personal  and  relative,  including  person,  substance, 
and  itijiuence,  now  and/orevcr.     The  question  presented  by 


CENTENARY    OF    METHODItSM.  231 


the  occasion  is,  "  Wliat  lias  Methodism  effected  for  us  ?  " 
And  another  question,  coincident!}',  yet  irresistibly  sug- 
gested, at  the  same  time,  is,  —  What  in  return  should  we 
do  for  Methodism  ?  The  principle  of  appeal,  is  that  of 
relative  justice.  If  nothing  has  been  done  for  you,  you 
owe  nothing,  nor  do  we  ask  it  of  you.  But  on  the  other 
hand,  if  much  has  been  done  for  you,  we  ask  for  a  corres- 
ponding return.  Even  Judaism  annually  tithed  one-tenth 
for  the  benefit  of  others.  Methodism  is  a  system  of 
unsalaried,  gratuitous  labor.  Its  founder  gave  away  his 
entire  income  for  sixty  years ;  and  it  remains  to  be  seen, 
what  we  intend  to  do  in  the  premises.  The  pecuniary 
bounty  bestowed  by  the  Methodists,  in  this  great  centennial 
solemnity,  has  been,  and  is  to  be  presented  by  the  donors, 
as  a  thank-offering  to  the  Great  Head  of  the  church,  for 
the  benefit  of  every  kindred,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  Wesleyan  Methodism,  as  the  distinctive  denomination 
of  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  body.  We  acknowledge  a 
debt  of  gratitude,  and  we  would  discharge  it,  not  only  by 
thankfulness  for  the  glory  of  the  past,  but  by  the  contri- 
bution of  means  to  augment  the  glory  of  the  future,  that 
we  may  secure  to  those  who  succeed  us,  the  blessings  and 
advantages  bequeathed  us  by  our  predecessors. 

Methodism  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  modification  of  Chris- 
tianity. In  substance,  exhibiting  nothing  new,  or  diverse 
from  it ;  and  only  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  distinct  system, 
in  view  of  its  model  manifestation  as  an  organic  economy, 
wielded  solely  for  the  moral  welfare  of  mankind ;  and  only 
operating  other  results,  as  subservient  to  this.  It  is  a 
revival,  —  (at  least,  we  so  regard  it,)  a  restoration  of 
primitive  Christianity,  disabused  of  a  cumbrous  load  of 
surreptitious  accompaniment  and  machinery,  not  belongino- 
to  its  nature,  and  immensely  detrimental  to  its  interests. 
It  is  to  be  looked  upon,  simply,  as  an  exposition,  and 


«k 


232  CKNTENART  OF  METHODISM. 

practical  illustration  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible.  All 
its  authority,  sanctity,  and  usefulness  is  derived  thence. 
There  is  no  system,  of  government,  legislation,  law,  policy 
or  philosophy,  with  which  it  symbolizes.  The  Bible,  and 
the  salvation  of  men,  the  Christian  revelation,  and  the 
present  and  immortal  welfare  of  those  to  whom  it  is 
addressed,  constitute  its  point  of  departure,  and  the  goal 
of  its  termination.  It  has  never  confederated — it  has 
never  been  embroiled  with  any  other  system.  Take  the 
two  great  bodies  —  British  and  American  —  the  one  will 
be  found  loyal,  and  the  other  patriotic.  And  take  the 
representatives  of  these  bodies  in  every  part  of  the  world, 
and  you  will  find  them  neutral  in  every  thing  affecting 
"  the  rights  of  Caesar."  They  have  been  in  the  English 
Parliament,  and  American  Congress,  for  fifty  years,  without 
ever  attempting  to  influence  legislation  or  poHcy,  in  any- 
thing affecting  themselves.  We  only  ask,  for  the  system, 
that  it  may  be  judged  by  its  fruits. 

Conceiving  of  Methodism  as  a  revival  of  Christianity,  in 
its  primitive  power  and  simplicity,  the  time  of  its  introduc- 
tion was  both  remarkable  and  appropriate  ;  as  a  revolution 
of  the  kind  was  never  more  needed,  in  the  history  of  the 
church  or  world.  The  former  was  corrupt  and  sensual  in 
its  ministers  and  members,  beyond  all  Protestant  example. 
With  a  few  honorable  exceptions,  (comparatively)  a  licen- 
tious priesthood  mingled  with  the  mass  of  vicious  population 
about  them,  in  all  the  overt  excesses  of  immoral  indulgence, 
such  as  gaming,  profaneness,  sports  of  the  turf  and  chase, 
and  other  kindred  irregularities,  equally  debasing.  The 
world,  as  distinguished  from  the  church,  in  England  of 
which  we  are  speaking  particularly,  was  every  where  has- 
tening to  cast  off  the  restraints  of  religion  and  morality, 
and  holding  up  their  sanctions  as  objects  of  derision, 
or  vulgar  contempt.     And  to  facilitate  such  a  result,  the 


• 


CENTENARY    OF    METHODISM.  233 

godless  philosophy  and  infidel  speculations  of  Hobbes, 
Tindal,  Toland,  Collins,  Woolston,  Chubb,  Blunt,  Morgan, 
Shaftsbury,  and  Mandeville  —  followed  by  Bolingbroke  and 
Voltaire,  and  a  host  of  infidels  upon  the  continent,  had 
flooded  the  nation  with  opinions  and  parties,  utterly  subver- 
sive of  every  thing  valuable  in  religion,  or  wholesome  in 
morals.  But  at  the  very  moment  wlien  this  state  of  things 
was  at  the  acme  of  its  rifeness  and  virulence,  John  Wesley, 
descended  of  a  long  line  of  worthy  ancestors,  was  in  course 
of  training  at  Epworth  and  Oxford,  as  if  brought  forward 
by  special  Divine  interference  to  arrest  and  counteract  the 
abuse  of  Christianity  toithin  the  Church,  and  its  denial 
without.  And  thus,  the  providence  and  grace  of  God  syn- 
chronized with  events  —  the  moral  wants  and  necessities 
of  the  times,  in  producing  the  revolution  we  are  met  to 
celebrate  in  this  day's  exercises. 

Methodism  had  its  birth  on  classic  ground  —  in  a  uni- 
versity, then  as  now,  the  first  in  the  world,  at  the  very 
meridian  of  the  Elizabethan  —  tlie  Augustan  age  of  English 
literature,  and  intellectual  distinction.  Our  providential 
leader  was  no  obscure  fanatic,  appealing  to  the  lower 
passions,  and  baser  interests  of  mankind.  A  distinguished 
scholar  of  the  ripest  attainments  —  a  clergyman  of  the 
English  Establishment  —  a  bold  and  fearless  defender  of  tlie 
rights  of  private  judgment  —  a  severe  and  masterly  dispu- 
tant—  indefatigable  in  labor,  and  reproachless  in  character, 
he  presented  himself  in  the  attitude  of  a  liberal,  but  unyield- 
ing reformer — the  builder  up  of  a  new  order  of  thino-s. 
It  was  "Athanasius  against  the  world!"  The  field  of 
battle  was  a  fair  one,  and  long  and  perseveringly  was  it 
fought.  Wesley,  however,  under  God,  was  destined  to 
triumph,  and  become  the  father  of  a  great  people,  of  which 
we  form  an  integral  part,  and  here  present  ourselves  as 
witnesses. 

VOL.  II — 20. 


234  CEKTENARY    OF    METHODISM. 

What  the  world  has    long;  asrreed   to  call   Methodism; 
viewed  as  a  structure,  is  of  providential  origin  and  growth. 
In  its  founder,  as  a  whole,  it  was  not  the  result  of  design  ; 
but,  as  is  often  the  case,  accidental  development  carried  with 
it  more  than  the  force  of  design,  and  no  preconcerted  plan, 
under  the  circumstances,  could  have  succeeded  so  well. 
All  this  was  seen  by  tliose  interested,  if  not  by  others,  and 
(regarded  as  Providential)  was  readily  and  gladly  submitted 
to.     In  this  way,  it  not  unfrequently  happens,  that  a  single 
occurrence  or  event  decides  and  forms  a  character,  and  a 
single  character  subdues  or  controls  a  nation  or  kingdom. 
Often,  in  this  way,  has  a  single  voice  or  pen  shaken  dynasties, 
and  moulded  the  fortunes  of  empire.     And  of  this  class  in 
the  moral  world,  were  Luther  and  Wesley.     And  the  revo- 
lution  effected   by  the  one,    in  relation  to  papal   Rome, 
was  scarcely  greater   than  that  effected  by  the  other,  in 
relation  to   modern   Protestant   Christendom.     Both  were 
distinguished  reformers,    and  the  leaders  in  great  moral 
revolutions,  unique  in  kind,  and  unprecedented  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world.     Popery  attempted  to  counteract  the 
reformation,  by  the    institution  of  the    order   of  Jesuits, 
but  with  what  signal  want  of  success,  we  need  not  say. 
Protestant  establishments,  at  first,  essayed  the  overthrow  of 
Methodism,  by  the  hue  and  cry  of  disparagement,  and  by 
persecution, — but  failing  in  this,  are  now  rather  tamely 
attempting  to  rival  her,  by  imitating  her  plans  and  modes 
of  operation,  under  various  names  and  guises.    Tlie  struggle 
was  fearful  and  protracted,  involving  grave  and  important 
elements  and  interests.     As  Tertullian  says,  it  was  a  con- 
troversy in  which  "no  wind  blew,  but  what  was  cold  and 
keen."     But  finally,  the  energies  and  developments  of  the 
system,  successively  broke  upon  the  lethargy  of  an  enslaved 
church  and  sensual  world,  with  a  momentum  not  to  be 
resisted. 


CENTENARY    OF    METHODISM.  235 

One  of  the  great  and  most  obvious  distinctions  of  Meth- 
odism, as  such,  and  which  distinguishes  it  from  every  other 
church  and  pohty,  is,  that  it  has  from  the  first  assumed, 
that  to  be  reformed  and  saved,  men  must  be  sought.  In 
this  respect,  it  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  aggressive. 
Not  waiting  (as  is  the  wont  of  others)  for  men,  places,  and 
localities,  to  call,  and  invite, — but  to  c/o,  see,  and  inqicire. 
The  "waste  and  the  solitary  places,"  as  well  as  "  the  city 
full,"  are  startled  by  its  trumpet  notes,  without  any  pre- 
vious negotiation  or  understanding,  and  in  this  respect,  at 
least,  we  have  a  revival  of  apostolic  practice,  not  to  be  met 
with,  unless  in  excepted  cases,  in  any  other  church.  The 
effect  has  been  unrivaled  success.  Success  without  a  par- 
allel, except  in  the  instance  of  their  great  prototypes, —  the 
apostles  themselves.  Nearly  eight  hundred  thousand  living 
converts,  and  more  than  three  millions  of  stated  hearers, 
in  this  country  alone,  beside  those  who  have  died  and  gone 
to  their  final  account,  will  explain  our  meaning.  Wesley 
and  his  coadjutors  were  first  styled  Methodists.  And 
subsequently,  all  his  societies,  as  raised  and  organized  by 
him,  were  called  the  "  United  Societies."  He  gave  them 
an  absolutely  connectional,  instead  of  a  congregational 
character,  both  as  it  regards  organic  form,  and  modes  of 
operation.  And  with  very  slight  modification,  this  grand 
feature  distinguishes  the  whole  body  to  the  present  day. 
They  are  eviphatically  one,  with  the  great  Wesleyan  fea- 
tures indelibly  impressed  upon  them,  the  world  over. 

We  have  spoken  of  your  indebtedness  to  Methodism. 
Do  any  doubt  their  obligations,  but  let  them  review  their 
whole  lives,  and  especially,  their  contact  with  Methodism. 
What  knowledge,  what  varied  information  have  they  gained 
from  the  pulpits,  the  presses,  and  complicated  labors  and 
instrumentaUties  of  Methodism  !  What  moral  impressions, 
religious  views,  sentiments,  and  feelings,  have  they  imbibed 


236  CENTENARY  OF  METHODISM. 

and  received  from  the  same  prolific  source  !  What  vices 
have  been  restrained,  what  follies  checked,  what  aspira- 
tions and  ambition  awakened  and  excited  !  What  healthful 
hopes,  and  salient  fears  has  it  given  birth  to  1  What  share 
of  time  and  attention  has  been  called  off  from  vicious  and 
degrading  pursuits,  while  worthier  thoughts  and  actions 
have  been  the  result !  What  might,  what  would  you  have 
been,  but  for  all  these  ?  If  not  directly,  and  immeasura- 
bly benefited  yourselves,  look  at  the  influence  of  the 
system  upon  others  nearly  allied  to  you,  and  in  whom  you 
are  deeply  interested !  See  them  refoi-med,  and  elevated, 
as  it  regards  character  and  rank  in  society,  and  now  minis- 
tering to  the  happiness  of  those  they  formerly  injured  and 
disgraced  !  Look  about  you  in  the  world,  and  see  the 
amount  of  ignorance  and  vice,  bigotry  and  illiberality, 
general  dissoluteness  of  morals,  and  inattention  to  religion, 
everywhere  removed  or  reduced,  by  the  aggressive  move- 
ments, and  moral  revolutions  efi'ected  by  Methodism  ! 
Look  at  all  this,  and  if  you  see  not  grounds  of  obligation, 
then,  with  yoth — with  such,  we  liave  nothing  to  do,  and 
we  gladly  turn  to  others.  Take  our  own  country  for 
illustration,  and  let  it  be  at  once  deprived  of  nine  thousand 
ministers,  with  more  than  half  a  million  of  members,  throw 
down  and  abandon  more  than  thirty  thousand  churches, 
chapels,  and  preaching  houses,  let  twenty  effective  presses 
be  destroyed,  demolish  as  many  colleges  and  universities, 
and  then  say  what  the  effect  would  be  !  And  in  the  pro- 
portion that  moral  desolation  would  ensue,  you  are  bound 
to  admit  your  obligations  to  that  form  of  Christianity  we 
are  now  considering. 

We  have  seen  that  it  is  to  Mr.  Wesley  we  are  indebted 
for  that  peculiar  and  admirable  form  of  Christianity,  which 
we  meet  to  distinguish,  both  by  religious  acknowledgments, 
offered  to  Heaven,  and  benevolent  demonstrations,  in  rela- 


CENTENARY  OF  METHODISM.  237 

*::ri  to  man.  Upon  tlie  character  of  Wesley,  we  can  barely 
touch.  Brought  up  at  the  feet  of  a  female  Gamaliel,  never, 
perhaps,  excelled  among  the  daughters  of  Eve,  admirably 
trained  and  drilled  by  the  talent  and  example  of  the  Father, 
and  the  masterly  tact  and  discretion  of  the  Mother,  early 
placed  at  school  with  the  best  of  masters,  passing  his  uni- 
versity course,  not  only  with  credit,  but  distinction, —  from 
his  Alma  Mater,  especially,  as  the  best  Grecian  in  it,  early 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  burning  with  zeal 
for  the  salvation  of  others  —  of  all, —  refusing  a  local  cure, 
and  the  trammels  of  an  exclusive  establishment,  and  jealous 
hierarchy,  he  is  thrown  by  Providence,  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  world,  to  battle  with  his  enemies,  and  champion  his 
own  cause,  as  best  he  may  !  Trusting  in  God,  and  relying 
upon  moral  resources  alone,  he  went  forward,  not  knowing 
whither  he  was  going,  or  what  awaited  him  !  Thousands, 
however,  soon  flocked  about  him,  reformed  in  morals,  and 
devout  in  life.  And  in  this  Avay,  most  unexpectedly, 
Wesley  became  the  leader  of  a  Christian  Israel,  of  which 
we  now  rejoice  to  form  a  part.  Deeply  imbued  with  the 
literature  of  all  ages  and  languages,  profoundly  versed  in 
the  scliools  of  classic  and  ecclesiastical  antiquity,  and  his 
labors  and  eflforts  signally  crowned  with  the  extraordinary 
blessing  of  God,  every  year  marked  the  increase  of  his 
success,  and  attested  the  impotence  of  opposition.  With 
the  Bible  always  before  him,  he  was  emphatically,  homo 
tcnius  lihri  —  a  man  of  one  book.  All  his  steps  and  all  his 
studies,  tended  to  this,  and  evinced  the  truth  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

As  it  regards  his  talent  and  fitness  for  government  and 
control,  as  the  father  and  founder  of  a  numerous  people, 
he  seemed  born  to  command  and  govern,  both  by  ascen- 
dancv  of  intellect,  and  the  moral  force  and  grandeur,  both 
of  character  and  action.     Thus  armed  and  furnished  — 


238  CENTENART  OF  METHODISM. 

with  means  and  weapons  sanctioned  by  Heaven,  without 
the  fierceness  of  Lutlier,  or  the  ferocity  of  Knox,  but 
ratlier  the  learning  of  Erastus,  and  the  mildness  of  Melanc- 
thou,  he  addressed  himself  to  the  comprehensive  purpose 
of  evangelizing-  the  world.  In  his  search  after  primitive 
Christianity,  he  disdained  no  aids,  however  humble  and 
unimposing.  For  his  first  correct  views  on  this  subject, 
he  was  providentially  indebted  to  the  mountains  and  forests 
of  Moravia,  from  whence  he  met  with  Christian  teachers, 
on  his  way  to  America.  About  this  time  it  was,  that  he 
anxiously  felt  after,  and  haply  found  what  he  had  so  long- 
been  in  search  of — personal  assurances  of  justification  by 
faith,  and  the  renewal  of  the  heart  in  the  image  of  God. 
The  entireness  of  his  consecration  to  God,  and  the  service 
of  mankind,  subsequently,  has  been  matter  of  commen- 
dation, in  the  better  part  of  the  church  of  God,  for  the 
last  hundred  years.  On  the  subject  of  the  variety  of  his 
labors,  the  rapidity  of  his  movements,  and  his  matchless 
skill  as  leader,  all  may  be  said  in  one  word  —  he  was  the 
Napoleon  of  the  church.  For  thus  viewed,  he  belonged 
to  the  Church  and  the  world,  and  not  to  a  party.  This, 
however,  was  but  a  general  right  of  property  in  him,  and 
it  is  pre-eminently  true,  that  he  has  bequeathed  an  eternal 
inheritance  to  those  who  follow  in  his  steps, —  to  you;  and 
it  is  this  fact  Ave  would,  if  possible,  bring  before  you  in 
living  picture. 

There  is  another  topic  not  to  be  overlooked,  although  we 
can  '-'-ive  it  but  a  single  glance.  It  is  the  organic  construc- 
tion of  the  principal  division  of  the  Wesleyan  ministry;  — 
not  as  local,  but  traveling,  combining,  at  the  same  time, 
the  functions  both  of  the  missionary  and  the  pastor.  It 
was  the  plan  of  the  apostles  and  evangelists.  This  itinerant 
system  is  a  moral  lever,  annually  achieving  results  produced 
by  no  other  means  in  Christendom.     It  is  now  no  longer  aa 


CENTENAKV  OF   METHODISM.  239 

experiment.  Its  capabiliiies  are  unprecedented,  bearing  upon 
all  men  and  all  means,  wherever  it  has  been  subjected  to  trial. 
We  appeal  to  past  history.  What  was  Methodism  one  hun- 
dred years  ago?  Seventy-live?  Fifty?  Twenty-five?  What 
is  it  now  ?  Look  at  it,  existing  in  the  meditations  of  a  single 
mind;  then  in  the  concurrent  opinions  of  a  few!  Look  at 
the  classic  band  at  Oxford  !  —  The  first  group  of  penitents 
at  Fetter  Lane  !  Another  and  another  appears  !  We  may 
not  note  them  !  Finally,  Methodism  finds  its  first  temple 
in  Moorfield  foundery  ;  erected  for  the  destruction  of  men's 
bodies,  but  now  consecrated  to  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 
Tlie  next  appears  in  Bristol;  but  here  we  pause. —  The 
kingdom  was  soon  dotted  with  them.  They  multiplied  in 
every  direction  ;  and  were  crowded  with  worshipers,  until 
"one  became  a  thousand,"  and  "a  little  one  a  nation  !  " 
So  that  the  celebrated  Dr.  Southey  said,  twenty  years  ago, 
that  they  were  in  England,  even  at  that  time,  "  iniperium 
in  imjjerio,'^ — a  distinct  and  independent  people.  And 
since  that  period  they  have  more  than  doubled  their 
numbers,  and  especially  their  means  of  influence  and 
usefulness. 

Within  the  comprehension  of  its  range,  Methodism 
includes  all  the  elements,  the  means  and  appliances  which 
can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  welfare  of  the  huniuu 
mind,  whether  in  its  moral  or  civic  relations.  It  covers 
the  entire  efround  of  relioion  and  morals  :  of  social  order 
and  various  accomplishment.  It  is  applicable  to  all  men, 
and  all  their  sin  and  folly,  as  well  as  virtue  and  worth.  It 
appeals  to  all  human  interests,  whether  of  time  or  eternity. 
Looking  upon  it  as  the  most  effective  dispensation  of  trutli, 
committed  by  the  Great  Head  to  any  section  of  the  church, 
we  cannot  but  regard  its  destinies  as  transcendent  in 
Interest,  and  well  worthy  the  Centennial  Monument,  to 
which  the  attention  of  the  church  has  been  so  generally 


240  CENTENARY  OF  METHODISM. 

attracted.  The  diffusion  of  Christianity,  and  the  consequent 
extension  of  holiness  and  happiness,  is  the  grand  funcliun 
of  Methodism  :  and  has  been  from  the  beoinnin^  :  and  in 
this  respect  it  continues  to  unfold  its  energies  with  unre- 
laxed  vigor  and  force.  At  this  very  moment  it  is  preaching 
the  gospel  in  thirty  different  languages,  with  nearly  a  dozen 
presses  employed  in  heathen  lands  in  the  circulation  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  tracts,  and  publications  expository  of  their 
more  obvious  and  important  contents.  Take  into  the 
account  too,  that  in  all  the  countries,  centers,  and  capitals 
of  civilization  and  taste,  where  the  Eniilish  lanu'uao-e  is 
spoken,  she  is  exerting  her  share  of  influence,  as  well  as 
in  heathen  lands,  and  at  every  annual  numbering,  is  seen 
marshaling  her  militant  hosts  upon  a  thousand  different 
shores  !  Allow  us  to  add,  by  the  way,  that  a  large  portion 
of  the  grand  moral  machinery  of  Christendom,  has  been 
put  in  motion  shice  the  great  Wesleyan  reformation;  — 
such  as  Bible,  Missionary,  and  Tract  societies.  How  far 
traceable,  under  God,  to  this  cause,  let  all  judge  for 
themselves.  George  the  Third  of  England,  gave  it  as 
his  deliberate  opinion,  that  Wesley  and  his  coadjutors  had 
done  more  for  the  interests  of  religion  and  morals,  than  all 
the  other  subjects  of  the  establishment  in  his  kingdom  put 
together.  A  distinguished  prelate  of  the  church  of  England 
said  that  Baxter's  "Reformed  Pastor,"  was  a  book  no 
clergyman  in  the  kingdom  could  read  without  blushino-, 
save  one  —  and  that  was  John  Wesley  !  And  this  general 
I'esult  connected  with  Wesley  and  his  associates,  has,  no 
doubt,  been  mainly  owing  to  the  fervor  and  simplicity  — 
the  force  of  thought  and  eloquence  of  feeling,  with  which 
they  have  insisted  upon  the  great  practical  truths  and 
doctrines  of  the  Bible  ;  everywhere  giving  to  the  world,  in 
the  language  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  "the  Methodism  of  its 
actual  contents."     Most  of  the  facts  to  which  we   have 


CENTENARY  OF  METHODISM.  241 

asked  your  attention,  are  matters  of  public  notoriety,  and 

are  rapidly  becoming-  incorporated  witli  our  common  history 

and  literature.     Methodism  has  done  nothing  in  a  corner. 

No  bushel  has  concealed  her  light.     Nothing  hidden  or 

exclusive  belongs  to  the  system.     She  has  been  examined 

by  the  ablest  censors ;  she  has  been  questioned  by  torture. 

Talent  and   abuse,   sneer  and  banter  have  been  arrayed 

against  her  !     She  has  been  arraigned  by  hierarchies,  and 

kings  have  been  her  jurors  !     How  she  has   passed   the 

ordeal,  you  can  all  judge  for  yourselves.     Wherever  she  is 

found,  she  holds  herself  accountable  to  the  country,  the 

ao;e  and  the  world. 

With    the    origin,   character,  toils,   and  struggles,   you 

should  connect  the  triumphs  of  Methodism.     More  than  a 

milHon  of  disciples  within  lier  fold,  tells  the  tale,  in  brief. 

But  with  a  membership  numbering  one  million  and  more, 

we  are  to   include   friends  and  adherents,  amounting-  to  at 

least   six  millions    in  addition.     So   that,   at  least,  seven 

millions,   to  classify  them  as   we    do  society  in  general, 

amonsr  the  most  enlio-htened  and  influential  of  the  civilized 

word,  may  be   regarded  as  i7i  the  interest,  and  promoting 

the  objects  of  that  peculiar  modification  of  Christianity, 

called  Methodism.     These   are  all,   in  their    spheres  and 

places,   contributing  their  dividend    to    the   grand   moral 

result. —  But  especially,  the  ministry,  annually  appointed 

and    removable,  by  the   executive  organs  of  the  church. 

And  while  we  would  not  disparage   others,  we  look  upon 

them  as  the  moral  engineers  of  the  world,  found  upon  the 

highwa3's  of  truth  and  duty,  leading  from  earth  to  heaven. 

They  are  found  in  either  hemisphere — every  zone,  and 

nearly  every  degree  of  latitude  and  longitude  througliout 

the  circling  earth,  in  all  its  length  and  breadth.     We  iind 

them  upon   the  Thames   and  the   Gambia  —  in  the   AVest 

India  Archipelago  and  South  America  —  iu  New  Zeahind 
VOL.   11 — 21. 


2'l2  CENTENABV    OF    Mlii'HUDISM. 

and  Botany  Bay  —  at  Calcutta  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
—  at  Madras  and  Malta  —  Ceylon  and  Madagascar.  At 
Feejee  and  Vavow,  and  throngliout  the  Polynesian  Isles. 
You  will  find  them  throughout  all  the  densely  populated 
kingdoms  of  Europe,  from  the  Island-Mother  of  our  own 
country,  to  where  once  stood  the  primeval  forests  of  the 
Goth  and  the  Vandal  !  They  are  found  alike  in  the 
palaces  of  kings,  the  halls  of  legislation,  and  the  temples  of 
science  ;  —  in  the  homesteads  of  competence  and  industry, 
and  in  the  huts  and  hovels  of  the  poor  and  the  lowly ! 

But  let  us  not  lose  sio'ht  of  ourselves.  We  have  seen 
the  obligations  of  other's,  what  are  ours  ?  What  has  been 
accomplished  in  this  country  in  seventy  years  ?  We  need 
not  be  minute.  They  have  spread  from  the  Atlantic 
border  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific — from  the  Bay  of 
Hudson  to  the  Capes  of  Florida  ;  and  from  the  Gulf  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  !  The  Ameri- 
can branch,  like  the  European,  is  annually  numbering  its 
increase  by  thousands.  The  present  year,  will  give  us  a 
net  increase  of  some  fifty  thousand  members.  But  let  us 
look  at  the  West,  particularly.  Select  ten  points,  upon 
any  section  of  western  territory,  and  who  first  carried  the 
gospel  to  those  ?  An  average  moderate  estimate  is,  that 
in  nine  instances  in  ten,  throughout  the  whole  West,  it  was 
done  by  the  Methodists.  With  very  few  exceptions,  they 
have  pioneered  the  whole  evangelization  of  this  entire 
country. —  And  do  you  owe  them  nothing  in  return  ?  Do 
you  owe  the  cause  nothing  ?  Will  you  not  contribute  your 
influence  and  your  bounty,  to  enhance  and  extend  instru- 
mentalities, which  by  the  blessing  of  God,  have  been 
rendered  so  subservient,  not  only  to  your  earthly  and 
eternal  interests,  but  to  those  of  thousands  beside,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  common  welfare — the  hope  and  promise  of 
•youi  rising  country  J 


CENTENARi'    OF    METHODISM.  243 

You  have  the  premises,  in  outline.  Wlmt  conclusions 
shall  we  reach  ?  I  know  of  no  logic  that  would  make 
these  plainer,  or  give  them  additional  force.  I  leave  it  to 
your  conscience  and  convictions,  and  the  record  must  tell 
the  rest.  When  our  descendants  shall  inquire,  in  1939, 
what  example  we  set  them,  I  cannot  now  say  with  what 
emotions,  whether  of  joy  or  shame,  they  will  turn  from  the 
record,  which  the  church  has  ordered  to  be  preserved 
among  its  archives,  and  thus  handed  down  to  posterity  ! 

One  word  more  and  we  have  done.  The  pecuniary 
contributions  connected  with  the  centenary  are  all  sacredly 
applied  to  religious  purposes.  The  objects  proposed  by 
the  Kentucky  conference,  are  fimt.  Missions,  —  secondly, 
Education  —  thirdly,  a  permanent  fund  for  the  support  of 
those  ministers  of  the  church,  (their  wives,  widows,  and 
children)  who  have  worn  themselves  out  in  its  service,  and 
either  rest  in  their  graves,  or  are  the  subjects  of  physical 
disability  and  superannuation.  Such  then,  are  the  purposes 
to  be  met  and  answered  by  the  centennial  thank-offerings 
of  the  church. 

We  have  seen  that  Methodism  is  essentially  missionary 
in  origin,  constitution,  and  action.  One  hundred  and  five 
years  since,  Wesley  himself  was  a  foreign  missionary 
among  the  aborigines  of  this  country.  It  belongs  to  the 
very  genius  of  Methodism,  when  the  gospel  is  to  be  taken 
to  any  point,  domestic  or  foreign,  for  its  ministers  not  to 
inquire,  by  whom  it  can  be  sent  ?  But  to  be  themselves 
ready  to  take  it.  Their  practical  motto  is,  not  to  send,  but 
go  themselves.  And  this  is  absolutely  true  of  the  whole 
itinerant  college  —  the  advanced  militant  corps  of  the 
church,  in  every  age  and  division  of  its  organization.  But 
in  addition  to  this,  our  regular  missions,  in  the  common 
acceptation  of  the  term,  are  more  numerous,  more  expan- 
sive as    it    regards   territory,  and   return   a  much    larger 


244  CENTENARY    OF    METHODISM. 

number  of  converts,  than  those  of  any  other  religious  body 
in  the  world  ;  and  it  is  to  the  support  of  these,  we  appro- 
priate one-third  of  the  centennial  fund. 

Education  is  an  interest  about  which  we  need  not 
enlarge.  Our  academies,  colleges,  and  universities,  are 
the  objects  of  appropriation.  And  as  it  regards  us,  our 
own  college  is  the  only  object.  The  several  dividends  are 
to  be  funded,  and  the  interest  only  used.  If,  as  a  church, 
we  would  keep  up  with  the  advance  of  the  age,  we  must 
sustain  a  competent  number  of  effective  literary  institutions, 
elevating  their  cluiracter,  and  multiplying  their  number  from 
time  to  time.  Three  or  four  millions  of  the  rising  generation 
have  been  handed  over  to  us,  by  providence,  to  educate 
and  train  for  life  and  usefulness,  and  if  we  fail  to  perform 
the  duty,  the  loss  and  injury  of  the  church  must  be  irre- 
trievable. If  other  interests  have  so  much  engaged  us, 
heretofore,  as  to  lead  us  to  neglect  this  great  collateral  one, 
it  behooves  us  to  make  the  necessary  atonement,  by  show- 
ing the  world  that  we  were  only  waiting  until  we  became 
able  and  readv.  Now  it  behooves  us  to  organize  formida- 
bjy,  and  proceed  to  action.  It  is  as  difficult  to  retain  as  to 
make  conquests,  and  this  is  strikingly  applicable  to  us,  in 
our  peculiar  position  as  a  church  and  people.  The  litera- 
ture of  a  highly  civilized  country,  wields  an  immeasurable 
influence  ;  and  unless  it  be  found,  in  due  proportion,  in  the 
hands  of  a  church,  that  church  instantly  loses  its  influence, 
in  the  ratio  of  such  deficiency.  To  keep,  even  our  present 
ground, —  to  retain  our  present  conquests,  it  is  indispensa- 
ble that  the  interests  of  education  be  duly  consulted. 

In  England  and  this  country,  contributions  have  been 
made  by  individuals,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  fomilies, 
of  from  one  to  fourteen  thousand  dollars  !  Largely  over  a 
million  of  dollars  has  been  contributed  in  the  British  con- 
vection, and  altliough  we  are  to  be  distanced,  we  trust  we 


CENTENARY    OF    METHODISM.  245 

shall  not  be  heggared  by  the  comparison.  Several  liuudred 
thousand  dollars  have  been  already  contributed,  and  wo 
trust  much  more  is  yet  to  be  ;  and  that  at  tlie  next  centen- 
nial meeting  of  the  church,  our  children's  children  will 
have  occasion  to  speak  well  of  what  their  fathers  did  at  this  ! 
The  subject  is  now  before  you.  We  have  spoken  plainly, 
but  we  trust  not  arrogantly.  We  glory  in  the  subject  of 
this  celebration,  but  we  would  not  boast.  We  would  not 
detract  from  the  claims  of  others.  They  are  doing  much 
good,  and  we  bid  them  "  God  speed."  Sincerely  do  we 
wish  how  much  good  they  may  do.  It  will  be  seen  by 
all,  however,  that  oiir  business  connects  us  with  a  review 
of  Methodism,  not  other  forms  of  Christianity,  however 
respectable,  or  extensively  useful  they  may  be.  To  return 
then,  and  in  conclusion  Ave  take  the  economy  and  the 
effects  of  Methodism,  and  we  are  perfectly  satisfied  beyond 
all  speculation,  that  no  merely  human  cause  or  causes,  can 
be  regarded  as  adequate  to  the  production  of  such  I'esuits. 
The  induction  leads  us  to  seek  a  higher  agency  ;  and  we 
are  compelled  to  refer  the  propagation  and  success,  not  less 
than  the  origin  of  Methodism,  to  the  grace  and  providence 
of  God.  The  first  century  of  Methodism  is  gone  by,  and 
we  have  to  ask  ourselves,  "  What  hath  God  wrouaht  ?" 
This,  we  have  seen.  Now  let  us  ask,  what  he  intends  to 
effect,  probably,  by  our  instrumentality,  if. we  meet  our 
own  obligations,  and  the  claims  of  others  ?  We  conjure 
you  by  the  mercies  of  God,  and  the  wants  of  your  kind, 
not  to  wrong  yourselves  !  Let  not  the  curse  of  the  needv 
rest  upon  your  habitations,  give  your  memory  to  scorn,  or 
fail  like  blight  upon  your  graves  !  Yet  again,  look  at  the 
living  hosts  of  Methodism,  congregated  on  occasion  of  the 
first  centenary  of  our  ecclesiastical  existence,  and  emulously 
hasten  to  identify  yourselves  with  them  in  the  noble  sacri- 
fice of  doins:  opod. 


246  CENTENARY    OF    MKTHODISM, 

Tlie  term  of  human  life  allows  us  to  celebrate  but  one 
centennial  meeting.     If   we    have   anything  to    do  then, 
specially  identifying  ourselves  with  the  centenary  of  Metho- 
dism, it  must  be  done  now  or  never  !     The  centennial  altar 
is  before  you,  hallowed  by  a  thousand  clustering,  endearing 
recollections  !     Approach  it  with  adoring  gratitude  for  the 
past,   unrestricted  consecration   as   it  regards  the  present, 
and  with  delighted,  believing  anticipation   connected  with 
the  future  !      Let    us   suitably  commemorate   the   Divine 
goodness,  now  and  heretofore  extended  to  us,  and  trust  that 
goodness  in  all  time  to  come  !    Let  us  do,  and  lining  done 
our  duty,  address  ourselves  with  deeper  care  and  higher 
joy,  to  the  widening  interests  and  anxieties  of  coming  life  ! 
Let  the  heart's  ambition  rejoice  in  the  friendship  of  Heaven 
and  the  welfare  of  others,  and  be  satisfied  !     And  in  this 
way,  a  life  of  vicissitude  and  toil,  will- close  in  the  hopes 
of  a  tranquil  death,  and  the  promised  rewards  of  immor- 
tality !     But  should  we   fail  to    do  our  duty,  and  prove 
faithless  to  the  high  trust  reposed  in  us,  the  work  we  cele- 
brate will   still  go  on,  and  the  cause  we  plead,  continue  to 
advance  in  unobstructed  triumph  !     And  when  summoned 
to  our  final  audit,  when  the  lightning  of  heaven  shall  scorch 
the  world,  and  its  thunder  rock  it  into  ruins,  the  book  of 
God's  remembrance,   containing  the  registry,  shall   show 
that  that  which  we  refused  to  do,  had  been  done  by  others  I 


CLAIMS    OF   AFRICA; 


OR 


AN     ADDRESS 


IN   BEHALF   OF 


THE  AMEKICAN  COLONIZATION  SOCIETY 


Delivered  in  Wilminr/ton,  Del.,  April  2, 1832  ;  —  in  Dover,  Del.^ 

April  6,  1832;  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March  4,  1833;  in 

Louisville,  Ky.,  March   17,   1833.     And  in 

various  other  jdaces  al  different  times. 


Claims   at  Jlfrita. 


Truth,  virtue,  and  happiness,  are  the  Heaven-intended, 
heritage  of  man :  and  their  ultimate  triumph  over  the  broad 
surface  of  tlie  moral  world  is  the  promise  of  the  Bible. 
This  maxim  is  the  great  basis  of  all  the  active  charities  of 
every  Christian  community.  God  has  laid  the  universe 
under  contribution  to  promote  the  happiness  of  man  ;  and 
where  untoward  circumstances  have  withheld  from  man 
facilities  allowed  him  by  Heaven,  you  are  called  upon  by 
the  great  "Father  of  all,"  to  correct  the  evils,  if  you  have 
it  in  your  power  to  do  so,  by  supplying  the  deficiency.  — 
"  It  is  what  the  happy  to  the  unhappy  owe."  It  is  not  a 
pleasant  task  to  urge  you  to  this. —  It  is  in  many  respects 
an  ungrateful  one.  But  as  the  representative  of  a  hundred 
thousand  of  the  first  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  a 
hundred  millions  of  the  colored  children  of  Ham,  I  must 
not,  I  will  not  shrink.  I  will  do  my  duty,  if  you  refuse  to  do 
yours,  and  leave  me  a  good  conscience  as  my  only  indem- 
nity—  asking  God  for  his  blessing,  and  claiming  an  interest 
in  the  prayers  of  piety,  and  the  wishes  of  philanthropy.. 

The  intuitions  of  good  sense,  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  unite  in  furnishing  a  principle  of  estimation,  in 
view  of  which,  the  intrinsic  value  of  action,  the  essential 
magnanimity  of  conduct^  the  absolute  grandeur  of  all  exploit 

249 


250  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

are  made  to  depend  exclusively  upon  their  moral  character, 
and  relative  bearings.  It  is  the  wise  and  the  good  alone 
who  can  discern  and  relish  the  discriminating  traits  and 
lofty  achievements,  the  genuine  actings  and  moral  triumphs 
of  heroic  virtue.  It  is  to  such,  and  upon  such  grounds 
we  make  our  appeal  on  this  occasion.  In  the  present  age 
of  beyoino-  and  beoQ^ary,  in  the  derisive  lano-uaye  of  the 
worldly  minded  million,  it  is  a  difficult  and  a  delicate  task, 
and  we  feel  it  such,  for  a  man  to  appear  before  an  audience 
with  only  the  poor,  —  the  oppressed  for  his  clients,  and  a 
call  for  fiscal  and  other  relevant  aid,  the  alleged  ultimatum 
of  his  plea.  Deputed,  however,  to  represent  the  views 
and  wishes  of  a  hundred  thousand  of  the  first  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  the  wants  of  a  hundred  millions  of  the 
human  race  beside,  and  ask  your  assistance  in  relieving 
them,  I  may  falter,  but  it  does  not  become  me  to  temj^orize, 
nor  shall  I  do  it.  I  may  fail,  but  even  failure  will  leave 
me  the  consciousness  of  having  essayed  to  do  my  duty. 
Be  this  then  as  it  may,  and  whether  of  the  twain,  I  hasten 
to  lay  before  you,  however  inadequately,  the  objects  and 
claims  of  an  enterprize,  involving  the  elements  of  every 
other  charity  in  the  wide  range  of  human  benevolence, 
which  may,  from  time  to  time,  solicit  your  succor,  or 
challenge  your  admiration. —  An  enterprise  which  com- 
mends itself  to  the  understanding  and  heart  of  all,  as  a 
ministration  of  blessing  and  prosperity  to  this  country, 
and  of  hope  and  salvation  to  an  entire  continent  beside  ! 

I.  We  base  our  plea  for  African  colonization  first,  upon 
the  general  question  and  benevolence  of  the  object.  We 
make  our  appeal  to  the  upright  and  humane,  and  our  cause 
is  ffendered  peculiarly  interesting,  —  is  hallowed  by  its 
alliance  with  the  image  of  God,  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  rights  of  man,  on  the  other.  And  in  the  same  pro- 
portion that  you  regard  these,  you  will  heed  the  claims 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  251 

of  those  we  propose  as  the  much  injured  beneficiaries  of 
our  liberality. 

The  American  Colonization  Society  was  projected  and 
gotten  up  by  the  friends  of  humanity,  some  fourteen  or 
fifteen  years  since.  Its  one  great,  engrossing,  and  exclusive 
object,  as  shown  by  its  constitution,  and  the  record  of  its 
operations,  accessible  to  all,  is,  to  colonize  and  settle 
comfortably  upon  the  Western  coast  of  Africa,  the  free 
people  of  color  in  the  United  States,  who  may  be  disposed 
to  go.  No  compulsion  is  used.  —  None  is  allowed.  —  All 
is  voluntary:  —  is  matter  of  reflection,  counsel,  and  choice, 
from  first  to  last,  in  relation  to  all  concerned.  With  tho 
subject  and  system  of  domestic  slavery,  as  they  exist  in 
this  country,  sanctioned  by  law,  we  have  nothing  to  do  iu 
any  direct  form.  In  view  of  all  the  aggressive  efforts  and 
provisional  relations  of  the  society,  slaves  and  their  masters 
are  apart  from  our  enterprise  altogether.  We  are  confidently 
assured,  however,  nor  can  it  be  disguised  from  the  discern- 
ment of  common  sense,  that  the  successful  operations  of 
the  society  whose  cause  we  plead,  will  in  all  moral  likeli- 
hood, have  a  serious,  and  we  hope,  a  redeeming  reflex 
bearing  upon  this  very  delicate,  much  contested  question 
of  American,  or  rather  local  policy.  And  the  remedy 
we  propose  is,  perhaps,  the  only  discovered  hope  of  the 
country  on  this  subject,  as  it  consults  the  rights  and 
promotes  the  interests  of  every  portion  of  the  Union.  It 
is  alike  advantasreous  to  the  free,  and  the  slave-holdinof 
states. 

We  have  in  the  Unitxid  States  at  this  time,  exceeding 
three  hundred  thousand  free  persons  of  color.  They  exist 
here  a  separate  caste,  —  an  anomalous,  alien  portion  of 
society,  necessarily  subjected  to  legal  disabilities,  and  social 
degradation.  Our  object  is  to  give  them  a  home,  —  a 
comfortable,  an  independent,  a  veritable  home.     Such  a? 


252  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

they  have  not,  and  judging  the  future  from  tlie  past,  cannot 
have  among  us.  Africa,  tlie  country  Heaven  has  assigned 
them,  and  from  whence,  by  the  way,  they  had  never  been 
exiled,  but  for  the  avaricious  cupidity  of  their  stronger 
neighbors,  offers  to  receive  them,  with  the  necessary 
resources  and  faciUties  to  render  them  a  prosperous  and 
happy  people.  Many  of  them  are  willing  and  anxious  to 
go.  We  confidently  believe  it  would  be  best  for  them  to 
go.  We  are  able  to  send  them.  We  owe  them  the 
assistance  asked.  It  is  due  to  consistency,  to  the  common 
weal,  to  our  country's  reputation,  to  the  expectations  of 
Christendom,  and  the  hopes  of  posterity  !  And  we  take 
signal  pleasure  and  pride  in  saying,  it  is  the  sole  aim  of 
the  Colonization  Society,  in  the  furtherance  of  whose 
objects  we  labor,  to  promote  this  grand  national  charity. — 
An  enterprise  destined,  in  our  judgment,  to  bless  largely 
and  inimitably,  both  the  continents  concerned,  —  Africa 
and  America. —  The  descendants  alike  of  Ham,  and  of 
Japheth. 

More  of  this  description  of  population  tender  themselves 
for  transportaiion,  from  time  to  time,  than  we  have  the 
means  of  sending,  and  the  truth  of  this  remark  has  been 
confirmed  by  the  experience  of  every  month  for  the  last  ten 
years.  And  as  the  objects  of  the  society  become  developed, 
and  the  knowledge  of  its  operations  and  success  more  exten- 
sively diffused,  the  ratio  of  applicants  for  transportation  will 
be  o-reatly  increased.  The  presumption  we  think  is  not 
visionary,  that  in  something  like  the  third  of  a  century,  the 
larger  and  more  enterprising  part,  if  not  the  whole,  with  but 
few  exceptions  comparatively,  will  consent  to  go.  And  the 
numerous  descendants  of  unfortunate  Ham,  thus  removed 
to  Africa,  may  be  free  and  happy  in  their  own  country. 
Possessed  of  the  soil  of  their  ancestors,  and  of  the  society 
of  their  fellows,  they  may  be  what  the  declaration  of  our 


CLAIMS    OF   AFRICA,  253 

nation's  independence   broadly  avouches  all  men  have  a 

right  to  be,  —  the  subjects  of  a  government  of  their  own 

choice  and  ordination  !  —  without  v^hich  no  man  is  free, 

but  stands  criminally  abridged  in  the  manifest  rights  of  his 

beinaf. 

II.     The  obvious  and  entire  lyracticahillty  of  the  schema. 

The  proof  on  this  point  is  easy  of  access,  and  amounts  to 

the  most  stubborn  kind  of  demonstration.    We  already  have 

a  colony  upon  the  Western  coast  of  Africa,  possessed  of  a 

constitutional  government,  laws,  and  liberty,  based  upon 

the  model  of  the  civil  institutions  of  this  country,  far  as 

circumstances  would  admit,  in  the  infant  state  of  the  colony, 

and  duly  adopted,  and  conventionally  ratified  by  the  colonists 

themselves. 

This  new  Americo- African  settlement  is  rapidly  assuming 
a  national  aspect,  and  proudly  and  permanently  rising  into 
political  consequence.  A  colony  with  its  territory,  com- 
merce, and  manufactures,  —  its  treaties  and  negotiations, — 
its  laws  and  arms,  —  its  domestic  and  foreign  relations,  — 
claiming  public  faith  and  diplomatic  credit,  —  declaring  war 
and  making  peace. — Law  and  justice  have  their  tribunals, 
judges,  and  advocates. — Education  her  friends,  schools  and 
scholars. — Religion  her  temples,  ministers,  and  ceremonies; 
and  contemplating  all  the  varied  interests  of  society,  here  is 
a  wide  and  imposing  field  for  laudable  ambition  and  growing 
emulation.  In  a  word,  we  have  a  settlement  in  African 
Liberia  that  presents  all  the  grand  elements  and  energies 
of  national  glory  and  independence.  Active  and  adequate 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  is  all  that  is  wanting 
to  render  this  project  a  source  of  everlasting  good  to  the 
deu-raded  race  of  Africans. 

Why  do  we  assume  the  impracticability  of  colonization 
in  Africa,  by  the  free  people  of  color  in  the  United  States, 
constitutionally  adapted  to  residence  in  a  tropical  climate, 


254  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

as  we  know  tliem  to  be,  when  it  is  known  that  European 
colonies,  formed  of  emi^a-ants  from  nearly  the  same  paral- 
lels of  latitude,  or  rather  from  more  northern  latitudes,  have 
succeeded,  even  in  the  most  southern  divisions  of  Africa  ? 

The  French,  the  Portuguese,  the  Danes,  the  Dutch,  the 
English,  all  have  colonies  there  with  from  ten  to  twenty- 
thousand  colonists.  The  French  go  with  a  more  northern 
constitution  than  ours,  by  several  degrees.  The  Portuguese, 
from  nearly  the  same  latitude.  The  Danes,  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  degrees  farther  north — quoting  the  latitudes  of 
Albany  and  Copenhagen.  The  Dutch,  ten  degrees.  The 
English,  from  ten  to  fifteen.  The  site  of  our  colony  is 
between  the  sixth  and  seventh  degrees  of  north  latitude, 
and  the  tenth  and  eleventh  west  longitude  ;  and  do  not 
North  Americans,  after  the  most  satisfactory  experiment, 
enjoy  perfect  health  at  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  in  the  vale 
of  Quito,  at  Guyaquil,  and  at  Cayenne  ?  Do  not  Euro- 
peans, from  the  fifty-fifth  to  the  sixty-fifth  degrees  of  north 
latitude,  enjoy  perfect  health  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  in  the 
Bay  of  Bengal ;  also  at  Sumatra,  Batavia,  and  Java,  in  the 
East  Indies,  between  the  sixth  and  seventh  decrees  of  north 
latitude?  And  if  so,  other  circumstances  equal,  as  they  can 
be  shown  to  be,  upon  an  avc.age,  why  not  in  Western  Africa? 

From  all  which,  and  other  facts  and  considerations  that 
might  be  adduced,  it  is  entirely  clear,  (and  the  moral 
convictions  of  the  nation  are  with  us,)  that  nature  and 
Providence  have  erected  no  barrier  to  the  accomplishment 
of  our  wishes.  Climate  and  constitution  cannot  be  made  to 
place  their  negative  upon  the  proposed  project ;  nor  can  it 
be  found  in  the  want  of  means  on  our  part ;  but  if  found  at 
all,  it  must  be  sought  for  in  the  want  of  disposition.  And 
this  at  last  turns  out  to  be  the  only  element  into  which  we 
can  consistently  resolve  the  impracticability  of  African 
Colonization !  ! 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  265 

III.  The  judicious  and  discerning  in  litis  coxintry  and- 
even  in  Europe,  have  been  looking  forioard  to  a  project  of 
this  kind  from  the  foundation  of  our  Rejmblic.  Such  a 
measure  was  proposed  by  Granville  Sharp,  the  friend  of 
the  negro,  in  1783. —  By  Dr.  Fothergill,  the  great  apostle 
of  philanthropy,  in  1784.  By  Dr.  Thornton,  in  this 
country,  in  1787.  By  Dr.  Hopkins,  of  New  England,  in 
1789.  By  Mr.  Fairfax,  of  Virginia,  in  1790.  By  the 
Virginia  Legislature,  in  1802.  Thirty  years  since,  Mr. 
Monroe,  then  governor  of  Virginia,  was  directed  by  the 
Legislature  to  request  Mr.  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the 
United  States,  to  correspond  with  the  British  company  of 
Sierra  Leone,  and  also  with  the  Portuguese  government, 
on  the  subject  of  a  suitable  site  in  Africa  for  such  a  colony. 
The  proposition  was  renewed  by  the  Virginia  legislature 
in  1816.  It  was  also  renewed  by  Mr.  Jefferson  in  1811, 
who  approved  a  measure  proposed  by  the  Society  of 
Friends  of  Pennsylvania  and  North  Carolina,  to  have  a 
colony  on  the  Western  coast  of  Africa.  Nothing  decisive, 
however,  was  effected  in  favor  of  our  cause,  except  that 
the  friends  of  African  Colonization  continued  to  increase, 
until  December  1816,  when  by  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Finley, 
of  New  Jersey,  a  public  meeting  was  had  in  Washington 
City,  to  deliberate  upon  this  subject,  which  meeting 
resolved  upon  the  formation  of  the  American  Colonization 
Society.  A  short  time  after,  a  second  meeting  was  had, 
sustained,  principally,  by  the  zeal  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Cald- 
well, late  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States ; 
and  the  Society  was  accordingly  organized.  But  no  colo- 
nial establishment  took  place  upon  the  Western  coast  of 
Africa,  till  1821,  when  eighty  emigrants  arrived  there, 
and  commenced  their  operations.  Since  that  time  forts, 
batteries,  fortifications,  manufactories,  churches,  court- 
houses, schools,  a  hospital,  infirmary,  a  printing  establish- 


256  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

nient,  and  kindred  buildings  and  improvements  liave  sprung 
lip,  as  though  produced  by  magic,  —  by  the  wand  of  an 
enchanter  !  Among  some  scores  of  native  Liberians  we 
have  there,  a  child  cannot  be  found  five  years  old,  but, 
what  can  read.  —  And  this  is  not  true  of  every  village  in 
the  United  States,  or  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  of  the 
size  of  Monrovia. 

After  thirty  years  experiment,  the  first  colonies  of 
Virginia,  New  England,  and  Maryland  were  not  as  pros- 
perous as  ours,  only  ten  years  old  !  We  have  better  health, 
more  wealth,  and  a  larger  share  of  contentment.  No 
system  of  credit  is  allowed  in  the  colony,  and  ardent  spirits 
are  prohibited  by  the  law  ;  we  shall  not,  therefore,  be 
annoyed  by  bankruptcy  and  drunkenness. 

IV.   The  Political  Consistency  of  the  measure. 

The  depression  and  degradation  of  this  description  of 
population  in  the  United  States,  have  been,  on  their  part, 
involuntary  and  unavoidable.  On  otirs,  it  was  originally 
the  result  of  aggressive  oppression,  and  since,  of  withheld 
justice.  A  refusal,  therefore,  on  our  part,  to  assist  a  people 
we  have  thus  deliberately  injured,  is  a  direct  implication  of 
the  national  honor,  and  a  practical  falsification  of  our  hio-h 
pretensions  to  the  love  of  man  and  liberty.  These  preten- 
sions, known  and  read  of  all  men,  have  virtually,  have  in 
all  good  faith,  committed  us,  in  the  eye  of  every  civilized 
nation,  to  the  result  we  propose,  be  the  means  of  its 
accomplishment  what  they  may.  And  to  us  it  is  entirely 
clear,  that  a  majority  of  the  national  legislature  have  thought 
and  felt,  pretty  much  as  we  do  on  this  subject.  The  Acts 
of  Clongress  of  the  third  of  March,  1819,  and  the  fifteenth 
of  May,  1820,  direct  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
station  public  armed  vessels,  and  appoint  resident  agents 
upon  the  Western  coast  of  Africa,  whose  duty  it  should  be 
to  carry  into  eff"ect  the  laws  of  Congress,  for  the  suppression 


CLAIMS   OF   AFRICA.  257 

of  the  slave  trade.  This  trade  is  pronounced  piracy,  and 
death  is  fixed  as  its  punisliment.  It  is  made  the  duty  of 
these  vessels  to  recapture  all  the  slaves  they  can,  and  of 
these  agents  to  receive,  settle,  and  colonize  them  upon  the 
Western  coast  of  Africa,  at  the  expense  of  the  United  Slates. 

At  the  date  of  these  acts  of  Congress  it  was  presumed 
that  there  existed  upon  the  Western  coast  of  Africa,  a 
regularly  organized  government  to  receive  and  recognize 
such  agents,  and  they  were  accordingly  instructed  not  to 
do  anything  upon  the  principles  of  colonization.  But  when 
it  was  ascertained  that  no  such  government  existed  there, 
they  were  directed  to  colonize  and  protect  them  indepen- 
dently. We  mention  these  facts  to  show  that  the  designs 
of  the  American  Colonization  Society,  involve  no  object 
but  what  has  already  received,  indirectly,  the  sanction  of 
the  General  Government.  If  if  be  constitutional  and  in 
character,  for  the  General  Government  to  recapture  slaves, 
and  return  them  to  Africa ;  and  not  only  those  brought 
away  iinder  the  American  flag,  but  under  the  flags  of 
other  nations,  with  whom  we  are  in  alliance,  and  have  a 
diplomatic  understanding  on  this  subject,  can  it  be  uncon- 
stitutional, and  out  of  character,  to  restore  those,  or  their 
descendants,  who  were  originally  brought  here  by  the 
public  sanction  of  American  law  ? 

A  few  facts  connected  with  the  history  of  our  colony 
will  further  evince  that  the  policy  of  the  General  Govern- 
ment is  in  accordance  with  ours  on  this  subject.  Lt. 
Stockton,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  assisted  the  colonists 
with  all  his  force,  in  their  first  settlement  of  Liberia.  He 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  treaty,  ceding  the  territory 
from  the  natives  to  the  American  Colonization  So^'^ioty. 
The  General  Government,  however,  is  not  committed  ^j  us 
by  any  terms  of  stipulation,  nor  are  we  in  co-operation 

with  the  government,   except  in  conviction  and  feeling. 
VOL.  II — 22. 


258  CJ.AIM8   OF    AFRICA. 

We  cannot  refrain,  however,  from  expressing  the  hope  that 
we  soon  shall  be  ;  —  and  why  not,  should  the  source  of 
power,  the  people  at  large,  say  to  their  representatives  in 
Congress,  that  this  is  their  will?  Be  this  as  it  may,  the 
state  legislatures  will  espouse  the  cause  of  the  Society,  and 
the  work  will  be  accomplished.  Several  legislatures  have 
already  declared  in  favor  of  it  by  public  resolution,  and 
others  will  soon  follow  the  example.  What  we  propose 
is  plainly  for  the  general  welfare  and  prosperity,  in  view 
of  tiie  common  defense  of  our  country.  And  does  the 
constitution  of  the  country  point  its  warning  finger  at  the 
impending  danger,  in  one  clause,  and  in  another  deny  us 
the  rights  and  the  means  of  averting  the  ruin  ! 

If  it  be  right  to  appropriate  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  as  has  been  done  by  this  government,  to  purchase 
the  good  will  of  the  pirates  and  vagabonds  of  Algiers  and 
Tripoli  on  the  Northern  coast  of  Africa,  can  it  be  uncon- 
stitutional to  appropriate  for  those  who  have  cultivated  the 
soil,  and  increased  the  wealth  of  this  country,  and  now 
wish  to  remove  to  its  Western  coast  ?  If  it  be  consti- 
tutional to  appropriate  money  for  those  who  fought  the 
battles  of  this  country,  can  it  be  unconstitutional  to  give 
those  something  who  raised  bread  to  support  them  while 
they  were  doing  it  ?  Is  it  constitutional  to  avenge,  in 
behalf  of  Africa,  the  wrongs  of  other  nations,  but  uncon- 
stitutional to  repair  the  injury  we  have  done  her  ourselves  ? 
If  Congress  may  appropriate  money  to  the  individuals  and 
corporation  of  a  city,  to  repair  a  loss  sustained  by  the 
accidental  ravages  of  fire,  (a  thing  that  has  been  done  by 
the  American  Congress,)  by  what  law  will  you  preclude 
the  free  people  of  color  from  a  share  in  the  national  bounty  ? 
If  Congi-ess  may  appropriate  money  for  the  relief  and 
removal  of  the  Indians,  why  not  for  the  relief  and  removal 
of  tlio  Xcrjroes  ?     If  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade. 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  269 

■why  not  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  been  cursed  and 
ruined  by  it  ?     If  for  the  relief  of  recaptured  slaves,  why 
not  for  the  relief  of  emancipated  slaves,  or  those  whose 
condition  has  been  rendered  intolerable  by  the  system  of 
slavery  in  this  country  ?     If  it  was  constitutional  to  appro- 
priate money  for  the  relief  of  the  distressed  inhabitants  of 
a  town  in  South  Ameriiita,  is  it  not  strange  reasoning  to 
suppose  it  unconstitutional  to  appropriate  money  for  the 
relief  of  our  own  citizens  ?     If  it  was  no  violation  (and 
certainly    it  was    not,)   of  our    constitutional   charter,   to 
appropriate  a  large  sum  of  money  as  a  debt  of  gratitude  to 
a  foreigner, —  I  mean  the  noble  Lafayette,  surely  it  cannot 
be  considered  such,  to  pay  a  debt  of  common  justice  to  a 
portion  of  our  own  population  ! 

It  will  be  said,  however,  that  if  we  plant  a  colony  there, 

we  must  protect   it;  —  and   further,   that  it  would    be  a 

capital  blunder  in  the  pohcy  of  a  republic,  to  aid  in  the 

establishment  of  a  foreign  colony.     In  reply,  we  remark, 

it  is  not  intended  that  Liberia  shall  ever  exist  in  colonial 

subjection  to  this  country.     We  do  not  ask  you  to  plant, 

we  simply  ask  you  to  assist  them  that  they  may  plant 

themselves.     We  onl}'  propose  assisting  the  free  people  of 

color,  until  they  are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and 

like  ourselves,   become  an  independent  republic  :  and  in 

doing  so,  we  have  the  example  of  the  most  distinguished 

republics  of  antiquity, —  Greece  and  Rome,     Greece  had 

her  independent,  as  well  as  tributary  colonies  in  Italy  and 

elsewhere.     Rome  had  her  legion  of  colonies,  as  one  of 

her  historians  expresses  it,  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa, 

and  many  of  them  upon  the  same  principles.     The  Greeks 

also  had  large  and  flourishing  colonies  in  Africa,  upon  its 

Libyan  coast ;  and  the  Adyrmachidae  and  Nasamones  of 

Herodotus,  upon  this  coast,  afterwards  removed  into  tlio 

inland  parts,  occupying  the  vast  region  of  Libya,  between 


260  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

Egypt  and  Fezzan,  in  one  of  the  oases  of  which  rose  the 
impwal  temple  of  Jupiter  Ammon,  against  which  Camby- 
ses,  ikiug  of  Persia,  sent  an  army  of  fifty  thousand  men, 
not  01:0  of  whom,  according  to  Herodotus,  ever  saw  Persia 
after  enterinar  the  African  kinoxlom  of  Barca  !  The  first 
head  of  the  objection,  therefore  falls,  because  it  does  not 
apply  to  us,  and  the  second  is  premature,  and  contradicted 
by  the  examples  of  Greece  and  Rome. 

V.  The  impracticability  of  colonization  in  this  country,  or 
any  of  the  neighboring  islands. 

In  fifty  years  we  shall  have  millions  to  remove  somewhere. 
Where  can,  these  be  accommodated  in  this  country  1  Or 
in  which  of  the  western  islands  will  you  dispose  of  them  ? 
"Will  you  place  them  between  the  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ?  The  only  part 
of  this  region  that  can  be  assigned  them,  cannot  subsist 
them,  for  the  whole  of  it,  except  fractional  parts,  is  a 
comparatively  barren  rocky  desert,  unproductive  of  any  of 
the  necessaries  of  life.  Again,  the  difficulties  of  removal 
would  be  infinite.  The  distance  is  greater  than  to  Liberia. 
If  you  send  them  by  land  or  sea,  the  cost  of  transportation 
would  be  ten-fold.  If  sent  by  land,  it  is  likely  the  fatigue, 
privations,  and  distance  of  the  journey  would  kill  one-half 
of  them.  If  b}'  water,  increased  distance  and  danger  would 
be  added  to  the  expense.  The  voyage  would  be  nearly 
equal  to  the  circumnavigation  of  the  globe.  And  if  colo- 
nized here,  what  relation  will  they  sustain  to  us?  Will 
you  hold  them  in  colonial  subjection  ?  Will  you  tax  them 
without  representation?  Will  you  rule  them  by  a  new  set 
of  masters  ?  —  and  thus  commute  domestic  slavery  for  a 
system  of  wholesale  oppression  ?  Or  will  you  admit  them 
into  the  American  confederation  of  states?  —  This  is  too 
palpably  improbable  to  admit  of  discussion.  Or,  finally, 
shall  they  exist  a  separate  and  independent  nation  ?     If  so. 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  261 

will  they  not  recollect  the  wrongs,  and  distrust  the  justice 
of  this  government?  Will  they  not,  as  they  rapidly 
increase  in  a  poor  and  unproductive  country,  be  incessantly 
disputing  with  the  whites  for  territory,  and  other  coionial 
advantages  ?  Or  presuming  that  the  present  state  of  things 
(wliich  God  forbid  !)  is  to  continue,  will  not  the  slaves  be 
incessantly  escaping  from  the  slave-holding  states,  and 
winding  and  worming  their  way,  finally  take  refuge  in  the 
colony  ?  Will  not  these  states  demand  the  refugees  ?  And 
will  not  the  sympathies  and  policy  of  the  colony  refuse  to 
give  them  up  ?  The  next  step  will  be  a  resort  to  arms, 
and  war,  bloodshed,  and  revolution  will  be  the  appalling 
issue  !  And  recollect,  you  have  upon  the  Western  Conti- 
nent and  in  its  islands,  at  this  time,  nine  millions  three 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  negroes.  —  South  America 
two  millions,  West  India  Islands  two  millions,  Mexico 
two  millions,  the  United  States  three  millions,  and  Canada 
fifty  thousand.  Select  which  alternative  you  may,  infinite 
mischief  is  likely  to  accrue.  If  this  remark  shall  have 
excited  a  smile  of  contempt  in  any,  let  the  bloody  placers 
and  sanguinary  fields  of  St.  Domingo  tell  our  paper  poli- 
ticians what  the  negro  can  do,  when  roused  to  action  and 
battle  by  the  impulse  of  desperation  !  Let  the  troops  of 
Napoleon,  the  world's  imperial  master,  who  were  trium- 
phantly vanquished  by  undisciplined  negroes,  say  whether 
they  can  fight  !  If  such  a  victory  had  been  obtained  over 
the  forces  of  France  by  some  nation  of  distinction,  it 
would  have  been  enrolled  in  the  archives  of  the  earth,  and 
the  bureau  of  war  as  the  humiliation  of  Bonaparte  !  But 
because,  forsooth,  it  was  done  by  slaves,  we  could  hardly 
get  any  body  to  print  it  ! 

The  Haytian  project  next  claims  attention.  It  is  said  our 
colored  population  can  take  refuge  here,  as  members  of  a 
growing  republic ;  and  that  the  government  of  Hayti  will 


262  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

p;iy  the  expense  of  transportation.     On  this  subject  a  few 
remarks  must  suffice.     To  say  nothing  of  the  grossly  vio- 
lated faitii  of  the  Haytian  government,  in  relation  to  six  or 
ei"ht  thousand  emiorants  that  went  there  a  few  years  since, 
and  the  larger  share  were  compelled  to  return,  it  must  not 
be  forgotten,  that  comparatively  few  can  be  accommodated 
tliere.     We  shall  soon  have  millions  for  transportation;  and 
Hayti  will,  in  a  short  time,  be  overstocked  with  her  oAvn 
population.     This  Republic  of  St.  Domingo,  of  which  we 
hear  so  much,  does  not  possess  a  single  foot  of  territory, 
except  the  little  island  of  Hispaniola,  of  not  more  than  forty 
thousand  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  more  than  a 
million  already.     From  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  climate, 
the  former  will  always  be  owned  by  an  aristocracy  of  rich 
planters,  and  the  poorer  classes,  so  far  as  the  laws  of  prop- 
erty operate,  must  be  vassals.     Owing  to  the  semi-barbarian 
character  of  the  population,  the  affairs  of  the  Republic  must, 
for  a  long  time,    remain   in   a   very  unsettled  state.     No 
religion  is   known   in   the  island,  except  a  loose  kind  of 
mongrel  Papacy.     The    Protestant  religion  is  without  a 
pulpit  in  the  island.     They  have  no  regular  schools  :  no 
systematic  education  whatever.    The  institution  of  marriage 
is  seldom  heard  of,  and  its  rights,  with  few  exceptions,  held 
in  universal  contempt.     It  seems,  therefore,  but  a  refine- 
ment upon  our    former    cruelty  to   send  them  to  Hayti. 
Indeed,  in  the  deluge  of  oppression  that  surrounds  the  man 
of  color,  Africa  is  his  only  home  —  his  only  resting  place: 
and  here  we  may  successfully  plant,  and  triumphantly  rear 
a  young  colored  America  on  the  shores  of  Africa,  and  no 
reasonable  objection  can  be  urged  from  any  quarter  !    TJiose 
who  think  that  we  wronr/  them  by  sending  them  to  Africa, 
seem  to  be  better  informed  on  this  subject  than  God  and 
nature,  for  the  finger  of  the  one,  and  the  indications  of  the 
other,  point  to  Africa,  as  their  only  appropriate  domicil, 


CLAIMS    OF    AFUICA.  263 

chosen  by  him  who  made  of  one  blood  all  iialions  of  the 
earth,  and  fixed  the  bounds  of  their  habitation. 

VI.     The   moral   and  relative  advantages  'presented  in 
Africa. 

We  need  not  tell  3'ou,  that  Africa  is  a  peninsular  conti- 
nent, of  prodigious  extent,  ten-thirteenths  of  which  is  found 
between  the  tropics.  From  its  more  northern  extremity  to 
its  soutliern  angle,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  is  five 
thousand  miles.  And  from  Cape  Verd  to  Cape  Guardafui, 
it  is  aboiit  four  thousand  miles.  An  immense  territory ! 
What  a  field  for  exploration  and  improvement !  Paganism 
reigns  from  the  mountains  of  Good  Hope  to  the  tropic  of 
Cancer  ;  and  is  disputing  with  Mohammedanism  and  Chris- 
tianity for  Egypt,  Barbary,  Zohara,  Negroland,  Guinea, 
Nubia,  Congo,  Abyssinia,  and  CaflTraria.  This  vast  field 
everywhere  whitens  for  the  harvest  of  civilization  and  the 
gospel.  The  great  central  division  of  Africa  from  east  to 
west,  is  drawn  by  the  Niger,  and  Senegal,  and  the  Moun- 
tains of  the  Moon.  Throughout  the  whole  northern  division, 
a  kind  of  semi-civilization  obtains,  and  the  country  is  gen- 
erally fertile  and  productive.  Liberia  is  on  the  western 
shore  of  Africa,  nearly  in  the  center  of  the  vast  extent  of 
coast  stretching  from  the  straits  of  Gibralter  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  And  it  therefore  possesses,  in  point  of  locality, 
the  key  of  influence  over  both  the  great  geographical  divi- 
sions of  Africa.  The  depth  of  the  territorial  purchase  into 
the  interior,  is  such  as  to  extend  the  trade  and  influence  of 
the  colony,  several  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean ;  and  a 
communication  has  already  been  opened  to  the  central  cities 
of  Africa. 

The  tract  of  country  purchased,  as  the  site  of  the  colony, 
lies  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Montserrado,  To  this,  addi- 
tional territory  has  been  added  by  subsequent  purcliase. 
The  Montserrado  is  between  three  and  four  hundred  miles 


264  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

in  length,  penetrating  directly  into  the  interior,  and  empty- 
ing into  the  Atlantic.  It  is  the  largest  river,  except  the 
St.  Paul's,  between  the  Rio  Grande  of  the  North,  and  tlie 
Congo  of  the  South.  The  cape  or  promontory  at  the  mouth 
extends  into  the  sea  about  four  miles,  and  forms  an  admi- 
rable Bay  or  Road  for  vessels,  where  a  Avhole  fleet  may 
anchor  near  the  shore,  in  ten  fathoms  water.  The  soil  is 
immensely  fertile,  equal  to  any  in  the  world.  The  forests 
are  lofty,  and  the  rivers  numerous  —  the  pride  of  the  Afri- 
can race.  The  springs  abundant  and  perennial.  The  whole 
coast  and  interior  are  stocked  with  cattle,  and  vast  herds  of 
useful  animals,  of  every  kind  proper  for  food  and  labor. 
There  we  find  the  cow,  the  ox,  tlie  mule,  the  stag,  and  tlie 
butfalo.  Add  to  these  the  elephant,  the  zebra,  and  the 
majestic  giraffe. 

Among  the  productions  of  the  soil  are  sugar-cane,  cotton, 
indigo,  coffoo,  rice,  tobacco,  camwood,  palm,  sandalwood, 
and  over}'  variety  of  dyestuffs,  spices,  and  tropical  growths 
of  various  dcscriptluns,  embracing  the  luxuries  of  the  East 
and  West  Indies.  The  corn,  the  millet,  and  the  holcus 
yielding  two  hundred  fold.  The  oats,  the  cocoanut,  and  the 
bread-iVuit,  p^jjper,  ginger,  nutmeg,  and  ebony ;  the  fig, 
the  pine-apple,  the  tamarind,  the  banauna  —  gums,  fruits, 
and  flowers  of  greatest  variety  and  abundance. 

Again,  Africa  is  the  source  of  nearly  all  the  gold  of  the 
continent;  also  its  ivory  and  tortoise-shell,  copper  and 
precious  stones.  In  a  word,  the  sources  of  wealth  and 
comfort  are  as  abundant  here,  as  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world. 

Nor  is  it  as  unhealthy  as  many  represent  it  to  be.  Some 
portions  of  it  are  certainly  not  healthy,  as  is  tlie  case  in 
every  country.  The  Bay  of  St.  George,  for  example, 
where  the  Sierra  Leone  colony  is  located.  But  the  general 
healthiness  of  Western  Africa  is  proverbial,  compared  with 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  265 

Other  parts  of  it.  The  heat,  at  our  colonies  is  far  from  being 
excessive.  The  thermometer  seldom  rises  above  eighty 
degrees,  rarely  sinks  below  sixty,  Farenheit.  The  breath 
of  Zohara,  the  burning  sands  of  the  desert,  the  hot  sirocco, 
and  the  deadly  malaria  are  not  known  here.  No  sickness 
has  prevailed  in  the  colony,  except  among  emigrants  arriv- 
ing during  the  rainy  season  ;  and  it  is  confidently  believed, 
that  as  the  forests  retreat,  and  the  country  opens  before 
the  busy  hand  of  industry,  the  unhealthiness,  even  of  this 
season,  will  disappear,  as  it  is  almost  exclusively  owing 
to  vegetable  putrefaction.  Tiie  boundless  luxuriance  of 
vegetation,  and  the  length  of  the  rainy  season,  being  cir- 
cumstances favorable  to  such  a  conclusion.  But  when 
proper  care  is  taken  to  become  acclimated,  it  is  entirely 
certain,  that  our  colored  people  hold  life  by  a  stronger  tenure 
there,  than  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  United  States.  Many 
of  the  colonists  who  went  there  sickly  and  debilitated,  are 
now  healthy  and  vigorous.  Some  who  went  there  without  a 
dollar,  are  now  worth  from  five  to  twenty-five  thousand. 

VII.  On  the  ground  of  its  congruity  with  the  7noveme7iis 
of  civilization  and  social  improvement,  throughout  the  world, 
and  during  every  period  of  its  history. 

If  we  turn  to  the  history  of  nations,  and  consult  the 
progress  of  empire,  as  developed  in  the  interesting  records 
of  past  ages,  we  shall  find  that  colonization  has  invariably 
opened  and  applained  the  way,  for  the  improvement  of  the 
barbarian  state,  and  the  transition  from  a  savage  to  a 
cultivated  condition  of  society.  Look  at  the  polished 
nations  of  antiquity,  and  the  proud  monuments  of  modern 
refinement !  Egypt  was  civilized  by  a  colony  from  Meso- 
potamia.—  Greece,  by  colonies  from  Egypt  and  other  parts 
of  Africa. —  Italy  and  Rome,  by  colonies  from  Greece. — 
Europe  by  colonies  from  Rome. —  And  America,  North 
and  South,  by  colonies  from  Europe. —  And  fiillen  Africa, 

VOL.  11 — 23, 


266  CLAIMS   OF   AFRICA. 

tamid  ihe  sad  fortunes  of  her  loiin'  defjradation  must  bo 
civilized  and  Christianized  in  the  same  way.  And  if  we 
go  to  work  in  a  proper  manner,  Morrtserrado  will  soon  be 
to  Africa,  what  Plymouth  and  Jamestown  are  to  the 
United  States. —  Sacred  to  the  recollections  of  freedom 
and  glory  !  —  The  birthplace  of  national  independence  ! 

VIII.  Tlie  Necessity  of  svclt,  a  measure.  —  TJ>.e  Policy 
of  its  speedy  adoption,  and,  rp-adual  accomplishment. 

1 .  It  Avould  be  to  the  United  States  a  measure  of  economy, 
in  view  of  its  wealth  and  revenue.  In  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  and  New  York,  the  free  colored  population 
amounts  to  less  than  sixty  thousand.  Of  this  number,  a 
sufficient  proportion,  (say  one-third  of  all  the  convicts,)  is 
found  in  the  state  prisons  and  penitentiaries,  to  cost  these 
three  states,  in  the  short  time  of  ten  years,  the  enormous 
sum  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  dollars,  Now, 
this  sum,  expended  every  ten  years,  for  the  term  of  thirty 
years,  would  send  every  person  of  color  in  these  states  to 
Liberia ;  and  then  they  would  be  rid  of  the  evil,  and  rid 
of  it  forever.  As  it  is,  it  is  only  increasing  on  their  hands, 
and  will  continue  to  do  so.  The  same  is  true,  in  some 
proportion,  of  eveiy  state  in  the  Union.  There  is  not  a 
state  in  the  Union,  that  does  not  pay  enough  every  year, 
for  the  correction  of  the  crimes  of  its  free  colored  population, 
to  send  the  yearly  increase  to  Africa.  We  pay  more  money 
to  Iceej)  them,  than  is  necessary  to  send  them  away ;  and 
3'et,  we  say  we  are  not  able  to  transport  them  ! 

But  look  at  this  evil  a  few  generations  to  come.  At 
present,  you  estimate  the  population  of  this  country,  at 
thirteen  millions.  Three  millions  of  these,  equal  to  the 
whole  population  of  the  United  States  fifty  years  ago,  are 
Afi-icans.  The  number  will  double  in  about  one-third  of  a 
ucntury  ;  and  the  increase  of  the  blacks  will  considerably 
exceed  that  of  the  whites.     This  excess  of  increase  will  be 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  267 

from  seven  to  fifteen  per  cent.  Now,  prevent  the  total 
increase  of  the  colored  population,  and  you  have  nothing 
to  fear,  even  if  you  stop  here.  At  the  first  period  of 
duplication,  you  will  have  twenty  millions  of  whites,  ai^d 
only  tliree  millions  of  blacks.  At  the  second,  forty  millions 
of  whites,  and  only  three  millions  of  blacks.  At  the  third, 
eighty  millions  of  whites,  and  still,  but  three  millions  of 
blacks.  But  let  the  present  state  of  things  continue, — 
shut  3'-our  eyes,  close  your  ears,  lock  your  coffers,  and 
resolve  that  you  will  do  nothing,  and  you  have  everything 
to  fear!  When  you  have  twenty  millions,  the  blacks  will 
have  seven  millions  ;  when  you  have  forty  millions,  they 
will  have  fifteen  millions  ;  when  you  have  eighty  millions, 
they  will  have  thirty-five  millions  !  Where  will  they  be 
found?  What  will  they  be  about?  Whose  epitaph  will 
tell  the  rest !  Thirty-five  millions  of  oppressed  human 
beings,  goaded  to  madness  by  the  aggressions  of  tyranny, 
can  never  be  removed  from  this,  or  any  other  country, 
except  by  law,  and  with  their  own  consent. 

The  annual  increase  of  the  free  colored  population  of 
this  country,  is  about  seven  thousand.  The  transportion 
of  these  would  cost  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  and  require  about  eight  or  nine  thousand  tonnage 
of  our  shipping,  calculating  two  persons  to  every  five  tons, 
(whicli  is  the  provision,  I  believe,  of  existing  law  in  the 
marine  department,)  and  estimating  that  each  vessel  could 
accomplish  two  trips  in  the  year,  which  can  be  easily  done, 
as  the  distance  is  not  greater  than  from  hei"e  to  Liverpool, 
—  say  thirty  days  sail,  more  or  less.  But  as  our  mercantile 
and  military  marine  might  be  occasionally  employed  upon 
this  collateral  service,  it  would  operate  an  abatement  of 
tonnage,  and  reduce  the  expense  to  something  like  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  Strike  the  dividend  then,  and 
it  is  less  than  five  thousand  dollars  to  each  state.     In  fact, 


263  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

Tve  have  vessels  enough  upon  pay,  doing  nothing,  that 
might  be  tluis  employed  without  any  additional  expense  to 
the  United  States.  The  increase  of  colored  population,  free 
and  slaves,  is  from  fifty-five  to  sixty  thousand  annually  ; 
and  agreeably  to  the  preceding  data,  the  cost  of  transpor- 
tation would  be  one  million,  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  dollars  : 
and  if  the  evil  we  propose  to  remedy  were  removed,  every 
dollar  of  it  would  return  to  the  public  treasury,  with 
interest,  in  less  than  fifteen  years.  This  measure  would 
call  for  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  tonnage  of  our  shipping, 
and  what  is  this  !  —  Not  more  than  one-fifteenth  or  sixteenth 
part  of  our  mercantile,  to  say  nothing  of  our  military 
marine  ! 

Look  at  the  amount  of  money  expended  in  this  country 

every  year,  upon  a  long  catalogue  of  useless  items,  that 

might   advantageously    be    dispensed    with. —  The   petit- 

maitreism  of  hiii'h  life, —  The  exclusiveness  and  insularism 

of  privileged  orders, — a  kind  of  mushroom  noblesse,  rising 

up  among  us;  upon  cockney  clubs  and  reading  rooms, — 

the  coff'ee  house,  the  park,    and  the  levee; — the  village 

dance,  the  palace  route,  and  the  reign  of  revelry ; — the 

publications,  conventions  and  subscriptions  of  demagogues 

and  office    hunters; — the   money-loving   lazaroni  of   the 

church    and     pulpit; — languid    and    fashionable    wealth, 

interest,    intrigue,    and  gallantry,    on    pilgrimages  to  our 

watering  places,  where  the  elegant  extract  of  society  meet 

to  bathe  and  bibe,  and  tattle  and  promenade  !     Now,  let 

vanity  and  self-love  compound  with  philanthropy,  and  turn 

over  a  part  of  this  expenditure  to  our  enterprise,  and  we 

will  blacken  the  Ethiopian  sea  with  the  returning  children 

of  Africa  !     Look  at  the  one  hundred  thousand   tobacco 

consumers  in  each  state.     One-tenth  the  amount  of  money 

thrown  away  on  this  worthless  weed,  would  send  to  Africa 

tlie  whole  free  colored  population  in  the  Union  ' 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  269 

For  a  term  of  some  fifty  years,  you  brought  from  Afiica 
here  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  colored  persons  annually.  The 
nation  is  now  worth  at  least  ten  times  as  much  as  it  was 
then,  and  when  we  ask  you  to  send  only  six  or  seven 
thousand,  you  tell  us  you  are  not  able,  piteously  bewail 
your  want  of  means  and  money,  and  heg  beggars  not  to 
beggar  you  !  How  is  this  ?  With  one  dollar,  by  the  law 
of  pi'oportion,  you  bought  sixty,  but  with  ten  dollars  you 
are  unable  to  send  six  !  What  kind  of  logic,  what  kind 
of  arithmetic  is  this  ?  Or  is  it  your  religion  that  has 
penned  this  singular  scale  of  calculation  !  But  I  check 
myself,  I  now  appeal  to  interest,  not  conscience  ! 

Look  at  the  Brazilians,  shall  they  be  able  to  import  from 
Africa  fifty  thousand  every  year,  and  you,  with  all  your 
wealth,  not  able  to  send  a  few  thousand?  In  the  years '26 
and  '27,  in  the  single  port  of  Rio  Janeiro,  seventy-seven 
thousand  slaves  were  landed  from  Africa,  and  driven  before 
the  lash  to  the  fields  and  mines  of  their  brutal  masters. 

The  little  island  of  Cuba  brings  twenty-five  thousand 
from  Africa,  annually,  and  cannot  you  send  six  thousand  ? 
Atone  period,  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  were  annually 
smuggled  into  these  United  States,  and  yet,  you  cannot  send 
half  the  number  away  !  Shall  the  treasonous  cupidity  of  a 
few  southern  and  northern  pirates,  be  able  to  do  more  than 
the  energy  and  benevolence  of  the  whole  United  States  1 
Is  it  not  a  libel  on  human  nature,  to  say  that  fraud  and 
violence  and  crime,  can  do  more  than  justice  humanity  and 
religion  ? 

Only  give  us  one-fourth  the  amount  of  money  expended 
in  this  country,  in  formnt;  chains  and  irons,  and  fittino-  out 
slave  vessels  for  Africa,  and  we  will  remove,  every  year, 
the  sf.t  increase  of  free  colored  population  in  tlie  United 
State:-; ! 

Only  give  us  a  small  part  of  the  wealth,  and  revenue 


270  CLAIMS    OF    AFHICA. 

accruing  to  the  country,  upon  a  single  article  of  con- 
sumption and  commerce,  an  article  that  bids  fair  soon  to 
present  us  with  a  nation  of  drunkards,  and  we  will  accom- 
plish the  object  we  have  in  view  !  Forty  millions  would 
send  every  person  of  color  in  the  United  States  to  Africa, 
and  yet,  treble  this  amount  was  paid  on  account  of  the  late 
war,  and  yet  no  one  tolled  of  the  insolvency  of  the  nation  ! 
And  more  than  this  amount  is  paid  annually  —  what  for  ? 
Why,  for  the  exquisite,  inimitable  pleasure,  the  dignified, 
the  ennobling  luxury  of  getting  drunk  ! — In  making  this 
estimate,  we  allow  fifty  millions  for  temperate  drinking,  as 
it  is  pertly  misnomered. 

We  have  said,  five  thousand  dollars  expended  annually 
by  each  state,  would  send  the  net  increase  of  this  people  to 
Africa.  And  need  I  say,  that  quadruple  this  amount  is 
paid  in  each  state  every  year,  for  the  support  of  the  theater, 
the  circus,  the  quadrille,  the  gaming  table,  sports  of  the 
turf,  and  political  intrigue  ?  where  thousands  meet  to  give 
away  character,  and  sell  their  souls,  sometimes  for  a  penny, 
and  sometimes  for  a  place  ;  where  in  but  too  many  instances, 
impurity  presides  and  corruption  gilds  the  entertainment: 
where  the  polished  and  the  gallant —  the  refined  exquisites 
of  the  age  purchase  amusement,  and  witness  with  rapture 
conduct  that  would  make  a  modest  pagan  blush  ! 

The  move  for  temperance  in  this  country,  has  saved  to 
the  nation  more  than  two  millions  of  dollars,  the  last  two 
years,  and  this  sum  would  transport  to  Africa  ninety-five 
thousand  free  persons  of  color.  Let  then,  a  half  million  of 
drunkards  in  the  United  States,  crawl  out  of  tlie  stye,  and 
turn  to  men,  as  once  they  crawled  in  and  bristled  into 
swine,  and  let  each  give  us  the  price  of  his  annual  degra- 
dation, and  we  will  place  in  Liberia  a  half  million  of  souls 
every  year  !  What  note  will  the  accusing  angel  take  of  th'.s 
in  the  day  of  retribution  ! 


CLAIMS    OF    AFKICA.  871 

IX.  We  urge  our  flea  further  :  —  On  the  score  of 
Obligations  and  Gratitude,  in  view  of  the  advantages  derived 
from  the  ancestry  of  Africa. 

Africa  claims  a  high  and  an  early  origin,  in  the  scale  of 
empire.  On  this  subject,  we  know  not  where  to  begin, 
or  how  to  express  ourselves.  The  recollections  of  history 
for  four  thousand  years  crowd  upon  us,  and  we  shall  not 
hesitate  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  views  and  language  of 
philosophers  and  historians,  moralists  and  poets,  jurists  and 
divines,  from  Herodotus  and  Homer  down  to  Wilberforca 
and  Watson,  casting  and  coloring  all,  however,  in  the  mold 
of  our  own  reflections  and  feelings,  and  representing  a 
wljole  for  which  we  alone  are  responsible.  When  Asia  was 
a  land  of  tents  and  shepherds,  Greece  a  waste,  Rome  a 
desert,  and  the  Western  continent  imkiiown  in  song  or 
story,  Africa  rose  the  proud  mother  of  nations,  and  the 
central  source  of  civilization  and  social  refinement! 

It  was  once  said,  that  "  no  good  thing  can  come  out  of 
Nazareth  :  "  and  it  is  now  thought,  that  the  mere  color  of 
the  African,  places  him  under  the  general  ban  of  nations, 
and  renders  preposterous  and  absurd  the  idea,   that  this 
race  ever  could  have   occupied  a  position  of  dignity,   or 
contributed  to  the  general  advancement  of  the  world.     If 
external  aspect,  (and  the  assumption  admits  of  triumphant 
vindication),  is  considered  a  mere  accident  of  being,  iiow 
can  it  render  nugatory  all  contravening  evidence  ?     If  so, 
then  reason  is  a  clieat,  and  Bacon  and  Newton  were  sophists  ! 
Why  tlie  African  is  black,  I  know  not,  nor  do  I  pause  to 
inquire,  any  more  than    why  you  are  white.     One  is  as 
great  a  ray:-tery  to  me  as  the  other.     It  may  be  the  effect, 
of  climate  and   condition  ;  or,  which  is  much  more  likely, 
il  ms'.v  he  a  moiciiul  arrangement  of  Heaven  and  nature,  lo 
prnpare  them  for   residence  and   suffering  in  the  hot  inter- 
troijijal   regions   assigned    them,   as   the  bounds  of   tlieir 


272  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

habitation.  I  do  not  profess  to  be  an  adept  in  tlie  science 
of  climatology,  nor  can  I  fathom  the  deep  designs  of 
Providence.  I  leave  both  to  be  comprehended  and  ex- 
plained by  others.  But  certainly,  if  the  mere  extrinsic 
circumstance,  the  adventitious  adjunct  of  color,  is  to  expel 
the  African  from  the  pale  of  humanity,  of  which  we  deem 
ourselves  such  fair  specimens,  the  decision  reflects  but  too 
injuriously  upon  the  magnanimily  of  earth,  and  the  jusiice 
of  Heaven  !  If  more  tiian  a  hundred  millions  of  uc'Toes 
are  to  be  disfranchised  of  the  rights  of  brodierhood  in  this 
way,  what  will  you  say  of  nearly  five  hundred  millions  «.>f 
the  copper  colored,  the  olive,  and  the  tawn}',  wiliioris  uf 
whom  resemble  yourselves  as  little,  and  myriads  less  t)u.a 
the  negro,  and  thousands  of  whom  are  as  ugly  and  hattjful 
to  the  eye  of  a  polished  European,  as  the  impersonations 
of  Scandinavian  mythology  ?  Will  you  reject  these  too  ? 
And  suppose,  on  the  other  hand,  that  this  overwhelming 
plurality  of  the  great  family  of  man,  shall  turn  on  the  high 
pretenders,  and  expel  tliem  by  way  of  recrimination  ? 
How  is  the  question  to  be  settled?  The  result  of  the  whole 
is,  that  they  possess  all  the  essential  distinguishing  elements 
of  our  common  nature, — the  physical  and  moral  constitution 
of  man. 

But  w^e  return  to  glance  at  the  African  history.  This 
race  can  boast  an  ancestry  as  bright  as  any  of  her  oppres- 
sors ;  we  care  not  where  you  look  for  them.  Of  whom,  for 
example,  have  we  descended? — Of  the  European  Goths 
and  Vandals.  And  what  was  their  ancestry  ?  Not  to  be 
compared  w^ith  that  of  Africa,  but  infinitely  inferior. 
Adojiting  the  language  and  sentiment  of  the  sagacious  and 
philanthropic  Richard  Watson,  we  affirm,  that  "tlie  con- 
temned  race  of  Africa,  as  to  intellect  arid  genius,  c:^r\ 
exhibit  a  brighter  ancestry  than  our  own.  They  siv  the 
off-shoots  —  wild   and   untrained,  it  is   true,  but.  sii.U   'h". 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  273 

off-shoots  —  of  a  stem  which  was  once  proudly  luxuriant 
in  tlie  fruits  of  learning  and  tas-te  ;  while  that  from  wliich 
the  Goths,  their  calumniators,  have  sprung,  remained  hard, 
and  knotted,  and  barren!"  Africa  could  boast  her  her- 
aldry of  science  and  of  fame  with  any  kingdom  found  upon 
the  vast  map  of  nations.  "  The  only  probable  account,'' 
the  same  author  remarks,  "which  can  be  given  of  the 
negro  tribes  is,  that, as  Africa  was  peopled,  through  Egypt, 
by  three  of  the  descendants  of  Ham,  they  are  the  offspring 
of  Cush,  Misraim,  and  Phut.  They  found  Egypt  a  morass 
and  converted  it  into  the  most  fertile  country  of  the  world ; 
they  reared  its  pyramids,  invented  its  hieroglyphics,  gave 
letters  to  Greece  and  Rome,  and  through  them,  to  usl"  If 
it  be  objected  that  we  received  letters  from  Plienicia,  we 
reply,  Phenicia  was  an  Africo-Egyptian  colony,  and  Cad- 
mus himself,  a  Cushite,  and  one  of  the  ancestors  of  the 
African  race.  The  descendants  of  Cush  first  settled 
between  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  and  the  region  was 
styled,  the  country  of  the  Cushdim,  also  Chaldea,  and  the 
land  of  Shinar  ;  and  Nimrod,  a  sou  of  Cush,  erected  here 
the  first  kingdom  on  earth. 

Ethiopia  proper,  lying  on  the  south  of  Egypt,  in  Africa, 
was  also  settled  by  a  colony  of  Cushites,  together  with  an 
admixture  of  the  descendants  of  Misraim  ;  and  to  these  we 
must  trace  the  present  Ethiopian  race.  As  the  Cushites 
in  Asia  gradually  became  lost  in  other  names  and  nations, 
these  alone,  therefore,  are  to  be  viewed  as  the  ancestry  and 
representatives  of  the  vast  negro  family,  of  whom  it  is  said, 
"  Ethiopia  shall  stretch  out  her  hands  ;"  which  prophecy 
was  incipiently  fulfilled  in  the  conversion  of  the  Ethiopian 
Eunuch,  and  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  Nubia, 
Carthage,  and  Abyssinia,  in  Apostolic  times.  The  Cushites 
are  evidently  the  origin,  and  stand  in  history  as  the  face 
of  the  great  negro  world.     They  are  the  only  branch  of 


274  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

Ham's  posterity  that  are  black.  And  that  they  were  black 
twenty -five  centuries  ago,  is  affirmed  by  Jeremiah  ;  and 
that  they  were  so,  ages  before  this,  is  the  testimony  of 
Sockman  the  Arabian,  and  other  historians.  For  a  thou- 
sand years,  the  Cushites,  except  in  the  article  of  religion, 
were  the  most  distinguished  nation  upon  earth.  They 
founded  the  first  kingdom  ;  they  instituted  the  first  national 
police  known  in  history,  they  constituted  the  priesthood 
and  literati  of  Egypt  and  Chaldea,  and  were,  in  fact,  the 
first  abode  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  They  originated  the 
worship  of  departed  heroes.  They  were  the  first  authors 
of  all  that  complicated  machinery  of  gods  and  goddesses, 
which  has  come  down  to  us  in  classic  story.  For  ten  suc- 
cessive centuries,  they  lifted  (done  the  torch  of  science  to 
a  darkened  globe,  and  philosophy  traveled,  an  awe-struck 
pilgrim,  to  learn  the  wisdom  of  their  obelisks  and  temples  ! 
Nor  is  this  allj  the  everlasting  architecture  of  Africa,  resist- 
ins:  alike  the  exhumations  of  time  and  the  ravages  of 
barbarism,  exists  to  this  day  ;  —  though  in  ruins,  the  won- 
der of  the  world !  Witness  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  the 
ruins  of  Thebes  and  Hermopolis,  of  Alexandria  and  Jupiter 
Ammon !  Look  at  the  palace  of  the  Ptolemies  —  the  cata- 
combs of  Sycopolis  —  the  ancient  capitol  of  Abyssinia, 
where  forty  pillars,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  pedestals 
of  granite  are  still  standing  in  gloomy  magnificence  to  tell 
you  what  Africa  once  was  !  "Her  mighty  kingdoms  have 
yet  their  record  in  history,"  and  live  in  the  breathings  of 
song  ! 

"She  has  poured  forth  her  heroes  on  the  field."  Look 
at  the  mighty  Shishak,  the  great  Sestostris,  the  victorious 
Hannibal,  before  whose  martial  step  the  majesty  of  Rome 
trembled  upon  the  Alpine  battlements !  She  has  "  given 
Bishops  to  the  church."  Ecclesiastical  history  enumerates 
seven  hundred  of  them,  that  met  in  council  in  Africa  to 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA,  276 

dfilibci'ate  upon  tlio  fortunes  of  the  Church  of  God.  She 
has  given  "  her  martyrs  to  the  fire,"  where  they  shouted 
the  Jiitnes  of  glory  amid  the  flames,  that  burnt  them  up  ! 
And  if  this  is  not  enougli,  let  those  who  affect  to  think  that 
avf^To  physiognomy  shuts  out  the  light  of  intellect,  visit  the 
capiul  of  the  British  empire,  and  there  "contemplate  the 
fyai'ires  of  the  colossal  head  of  Memnon,  and  the  statues 
of  the  divinities  on  which  the  ancient  Africans  impressed 
their  own  forms,  and  see,  in  close  resemblance  to  the  neffro 
feature,  the  mould  of  those  countenances  which  once  beheld, 
as  the  creations  of  their  own  immoi-tal  genius,  the  noblest 
and  most  stupendous  monuments  of  human  skill,  and  taste, 
and  grandeur!  In  tlie  imperishable  porphyry  and  granite, 
is  the  unfounded  and  pitiful  slander  publicly,  and  before  all 
the  world,  refuted!"  Look  at  the  world-astonishing  cor- 
ruscations  of  the  genius  of  Africa,  which  so  splendidly 
illustrated  the  morning  of  her  bright  and  bold  career!  Her 
glory  commences  in  the  depths  of  a  remote  antiquity,  and 
holds  the  unbroken  tenor  of  its  way  over  the  ruins  of  fifty 
generations,  until  we  are  presented  with  its  consummation 
in  the  most  polished  of  the  three  grand  divisions  of  the 
ancient  world  !  Africa  has  furnished  her  "  generals,  physi- 
cians, philosopheivs,  linguists,  poets,  mathematicians,  and 
merchants,  all  eminent  in  their  attainments,  energetic  in 
enlf.rprise,  and  honorable  in  character."  But  I  see  the 
smile  of  disdain  curling  upon  the  lip  of  a  pragmatic  politi- 
cian, and  he  points  me  to  the  intellect  of  modern  Africa. 
This  i.s  a  most  unfortunate  reference,  and  one  that  should 
crimson  the  national  cheek  with  shame!  What  could  be 
expected  from  the  intellect  of  modern  Africa,  when  it  is 
known  that  despair,  ages  since,  sat  down  upon  the  s;ime 
throne  wiih  reason,  and  disputed  for  empire  ?  Hushed  has 
been  tlie  voice  of  hope,  and  the  dream  of  fame  ;  and  e^en 
memory,  among  her  children,  bought  and  sold,  whipped 


276  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

and  brutalized,  lingered  only  to  survey  the  desolation,  and 
to  let  fall  a  tear  over  the  mighty  ruin,  and  tell  tliem  all  w^h 
lost !  Yet  the  celebrated  Blumenback,  the  father  of  G(,Tman 
naturalists,  has  a  large  library,  exclusively  the  production 
of  negroes  ;  and  he  affirms,  pioudly  and  fearlesslv,  that 
there  is  no  branch  of  science  or  literature,  in  which  they 
have  not  excelled,  have  not  distiiiguislied  themselves ! 
And  Gregoria,  ex-bishop  of  Blois,  in  France,  has  a  large 
glass  case  filled  with  the  works  of  negro  authors,  exclusively, 
to  which  he  points  witli  exulting'  pride,  as  a  refutation  of  all 
that  can  be  said  against  the  mental  claims  of  Africa.  Read 
her  history,  and  you  will  find  it  a  thinking  story  !  You  will 
meet  with  the  studious  and  the  brave  ;  the  masters  of  arts 
and  of  arms,  and  the  heroes  of  many  a  tale  of  danger  and 
of  glory.  Even  now,  in  her  mysterious  records  and  mould- 
ering greatness,  Africa  stands,  like  her  own  Egyptian  Iris, 
dark  and  impenetrable,  shrouded  in  the  mystic  drapery, 
which  ages,  long  neglected,  have  let  fall  upon  her  gigantic 
wonders  ! 

X.  The  invohmtary  Degradation  and  Misery  of  Africa, 
Tiiese,  by  many,  have  been  resolved  into  the  purposes 
and  plans  of  heaven  ;  and  her  baptized  oppressors  even  lay 
their  finger,  with  an  air  of  triumph,  on  the  very  prophecy 
which  is  said  to  legitimate  the  slavery  of  Africa.  The 
reference  is  to  the  curse  of  Noah.  This,  however,  was 
exclusively  confined,  by  the  very  terms  in  which  il  vvas 
uttered,  to  the  descendants  of  Canaan  ;  and  these  nov«r 
eiitorad  Africa,  except  a  few  on  the  coast  of  Barbary.  which 
nov'or  belonged  to  the  land  of  negroes  ;  and  wljore  if.«j 
soon  became  extinct.  Of  course,  the  curse  did  not  affect 
Afrif-a,  but  had  its  consummation  in  the  destvuciion  of  the 
seven  Canaanitish  nations.  The  fact  is,  Africa  h.-^r-  be-en 
^tithout  provocation,  unceremoniously  plundered  of  her 
bloud  and  treasure  for  near  two  thousand  years  !     European 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  277 

avarice  alone,  since  the  commencement  of  the  slave-trade, 
has  murdered  at  least  one  hundred  millions  of  her  cliildren. 
Merciful  God  !  what  a  hecatomb  offered  at  the  shrine  of 
blood  and  murder  ! ! 

During  all  this  murderous  term,  she  has  bowed  a  sup- 
pliant to  every  nation,  Christian,  infidel,  and  Pagan,  and 
humbly  sued  for  redress  ;  but  the  prayer  has  been  answered 
by  the  clanking  of  additional  chains,  and  the  ear  of  God 
and  solitude  has  listened  to  the  story  of  her  wrongs,  told 
only  in  curses  and  in  sighs  !  1 

As  said  by  the  eloquent  Watson,  "ages  which  have 
produced  revolutions  in  favor  of  other  countries,  have  left 
Africa  still  the  common  plunder  of  every  invader  who 
has  had  hardihood  enouo-h  to  obdurate  his  heart  against 
humanity,  to  drag  his  lengthened  lines  of  enchained  captives 
through  the  desert,  or  to  suftbcate  them  in  the  lipids  of 
vessels  destined  to  carry  them  away  into  hopeless,  foreign, 
and  interminable  captivity!  It  has  been  calculated  that 
Africa  has  been  annually  robbed  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  of  her  children.  Multiply  this  number  by  the 
ages  through  which  the  injury  has  been  protracted,  and 
the  amount  appalls  and  rends  the  heart!  What  an  accumu- 
lation of  misery  and  wrong  !  Which  of  the  sands  of  her 
deserts  has  not  been  steeped  in  tears,  wrung  out  by  the  pang 
of  separation  from  kindred  and  country  ?  What  wind  has 
passed  over  her  plains  without  catching  up  the  sighs  of 
bleeding  or  broken  hearts  ? "  The  children  of  Africa 
have  been  the  most  unhappy  of  all  the  family  of  man. 
More  oppressed,  and  more  abused; — I  do  not,  I  ivill  not 
medd'e  with  the  question  of  domestic  slavery,  as  sanctioned 
by  law  in  this  country.  I  speak  of  the  oppression  of  Afri<!a 
as  a  country  ;  —  as  a  member  of  the  great  family  of  nations. 
I  speak  of  the  slave  trade,  in  all  the  extent  and  malignity 
of  its  hateful  and  hated  visitations.     And  among  all  the 


278  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

national  obliquities  that  the  recording  angel,  in  the  councils 
of  eterniry,  has  ever  reluctantly  traced  upon  the  damning 
page  of  Heaven's  black  register,  is  there  any  to  equal  this 
oppression  ?  What  can  you  think  of  the  infernal  man- 
stealer,  the  hell-incited  kidnapper  that  would  take  by  force, 
and  drive  a  human  horde  from  motives  of  sheer  cupidity  ? 
Is  he  not  an  outlaw,  alike  from  the  reach  of  humanity,  and 
the  mercy  of  Heaven!  Is  there  a  virtuous  intelligence  in 
God's  universe,  or  even  a  devil  in  hell,  that  would  not  blush 
to  claim  kindred  with  him  !  Pardon  me,  my  friends,  I 
cannot  disguise  my  feelings,  sincerely,  I  cannot  think  of  the 
woe-worn  world  of  Africa, —  that  once  flourishing,  but  now 
desolate  continent,  without  exclaiming,  a  thousand  times 
accursed  be  the  oppressor,  that  has  withered  the  verdure 
of  her  banks  and  fields,  and  spread  sterility  over  her  soils  ! 
As  the  voice  of  God,  conscience,  and  duty  cannot  aft'ect 
liim,  as  he  cannot  be  arrested  "by  national,  or  municipal 
law, —  as  the  claims  of  Heaven,  the  fear  of  hell,  and  the 
interests  of  eternity,  are  recklessly  blotted  from  his  ledger 
of  blood  and  murder,  and  he  remains  uninfluenced,  even 
by  the  last  hope  of  the  depraved, —  a  sense  of  shame,  he 
deserves,  and  should  receive  at  once,  the  execration  of  his 
species!  The  indignant  scorn,  the  unleavened,  undying 
hate  of  humanity,  should  drive  him  out  with  the  mule,  to 
feed  upon  the  thistle,  and  when  he  dies,  the  burial  of  an 
ass  should  give  immortality  to  his  infamy  ! 

Two  considerations  must  furnish  our  justification  in  using 
such  language  on  this  subject.  First,  the  truly  execrable 
elements  and  features  of  this  infernal  scourge  of  humanity, 
into  the  details  of  which,  we  will  not  now  enter.  The  bare 
recital  would  be  torture.  It  would  make  the  nerves  of  a 
savage  quail,  and  curdle  the  blood  of  a  cannibal,  whatever 
its  effect  might  be  on  a  Christian  audience !  And  secondly, 
the  warrant  we  have,  in  the  history  of  the  past  and  present, 


CLAIMb    OF    AFRICA.  279 

and  especially  in  llie  Word  of  God,  that  the  time  is  rapidly 
nearing,  when  the  dark  and  lurid  torch  of  slavery  in  all  its 
forms,  a  torch,  fueled  with  the  image  of  God,  and  the 
rights  of  man,  and  lit  up  at  the  flames  of  hell,  shall  be  seen 
flickering  in  its  socket  to  go  out  in  darkness,  deep  and  utter, 
dense  and  enduring!  The  children  of  Africa  shall  not 
always  be  treated  as  things  and  chattels ;  shall  not  always 
be  sorted  with  the  monkey  and  ourang-outang. —  Shall  not 
always  be  outlawed  from  the  circle  of  human  beings  by  the 
slave-monger,  as  a  horde  of  tattling  babboons !  No,  the  tone 
of  humanity  shall  be  elevated  there,  the  rights  of  man  shall 
be  asserted,  the  justice  of  God  shall  interpose  a  defense, 
and  every  attribute  of  his  nature  shall  be  active,  in  throwino- 
over  that  country,  and  the  oppressed  of  every  other,  a 
canopy  of  protection.  Upon  the  coasts  and  deserts  of 
Africa,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Antilles  and  Mississippi,  the 
savannas  of  Georgia  and  the  plains  of  the  Carolinas,  the 
sun  shall  rise  on  freemen  and  Christians,  and  shall  never 
again  go  down  on  serfs  and  slaves  !  Enslaved  and  tributary 
man  is  everywhere  beginning  to  look  up,  and  ere  it  be 
long,  the  life-blood  of  an  injured  world  will  collect  at  the 
heart,  and  by  one  convulsive  effort  throw  off  the  load  that 
oppressed  it  for  ages !  Already,  the  beacon-fires  of  mora!, 
political,  and  religious  improvement,  are  everyvzhere  upon 
the  continents  of  the  earth  and  islands  of  the  ocean,  risinfr 
into  brilliance,  and  soon  human  tyranny  and  J'.'prada- 
tion  shall  perish  in  the  blaze,  and  all  nations  revel  in  tlie 
splendor  of  the  illumination  !  Fancy  almost  becomes 
rwaiiiy  while  the  mind  luxuriates  amid  the  magnificence  of 
the  vimon ! 

"'JTake,  Freedom,  take  thy  radiant  round, 
When  dLinmed,  revive  —  when  lost,  retiu'ii, 
Till  not  a  shrine  on  earth  be  found, 
In  which  thy  glories  will  not  buru." 


280  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

XI.   The  good  that  is  to  come  to  Africa. 

The  prospect  already  affords  direct  encouragement. 
Civil  and  religious  liberty,  may  be  hereby  given  to  an 
entire  continent ;  together  with  a  reversion  to  national 
consequence,  glory,  and  grandeur.  All  the  arts  of  civilized 
life,  all  the  means  of  religious  instruction,  will  go  with  the 
colonists.  It  will  be  of  signal  advantage  to  those  who  go, 
as  well  as  the  native  African.  It  will  inspire  them  with 
ambition  and  enterprise,  when  they  find  that  they  are  free, 
without  legal  disabilities  and  public  degradaiion  —  as  is 
the  case  in  this  and  every  slave-holding  country.  It  will 
especially  have  a  tendency  to  prevent  the  slave-trade  upon 
the  coasts,  and  in  the  interior.  Africa  has  ten  thousand 
miles  of  exposed  coast,  and  the  only  way  to  prevent  the 
rava'TCS  of  this  godless  traffic,  is  to  flank  her  coasts,  at 
convenient  intervals,  with -a  circumvallation  of  colonies; 
and  thus,  enlighten  her  tribes,  and  then  the  trade  is  at  an 
end.  It  is  now  contraband,  by  the  laws  of  all  the  most 
powerful  nations  of  the  old  and  new  world  ;  and  is  only 
carried  on  by  a  confederation  of  pirates.  They  are,  there- 
fore, not  strong,  and  may  be  resisted.  In  the  Sierro  Leone 
colony,  it  is  banished  trom  five  thousand  square  miles,  from 
whicli  twenty  thousand,  slaves  used  to  be  taken  every  year. 
It  is  also  baiiisLed  from  three  hundred  miles  of  coast,  right 
and  left  of  Monrovia. 

And  if  such  a  system  were  adopted  as  the  ono  we  recom- 
mend, if  tho  nian-stealer,  a  quarter  of  a  century  hence, 
were  to  go  there  to  try  his  infernal  experiments,  Africa 
would  treat  with  him,  in  a  language  he  would  have  to 
read  while  he  was  running!  He  would  find  lier  shores 
bristling  with  spears,  her  heavens  darkened  with  arrows, 
and  the  death-dealing  roar  of  her  cannon,  pealing  the 
thunder  of  African  independence,  and  the  brute,  with 
his  "floating  hell,"  his  minions  and  his  chains,  would  be 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  281 

driven  baok  into  the  ocean,  to  curse  his  stars,  (in  his  own 
ianu^iiag'.),)  and  tiy  his  hick  again  ! 

Liberia  is  even  now  a  Pliaros  of  h2:ht  to  Western  Africa, 
and  points  the  hopes  of  phllantliropy  to  her  approaching 
tjcfranchisement  and  civihzation  ;  Avhich  are  to  be  viewed 
as  ao  event  of  more  general  importance  than  anytliing  that 
has  occurred  during  the  last  century,  except  the  universal 
emancipation  of  the  Western  Continent. 

XII.  It  may  prevent  iticalculaUe  mischief  and  ruin  to  this 
country,  and  finally  save  it  from  premature  decay  and  ulti- 
mate overthrow,  or  at  least  from  internal  civil  dissensions. 

Our  free  people  of  color  are  mocked,  when  we  call  them 
citizens.  We  disown  them  as  our  fellows  and  peers  ;  and 
yet,  refuse  them  the  protection  afforded  to  slaves.  In  the  true 
spirit  of  Egyptian  slavery,  we  curse  them  for  not  making 
brick,  but  are  careful  at  the  same  time,  to  withhold  from 
them  the  only  materials  with  which  it  could  be  made. 
They  are  natives,  but  still  strangers  and  aliens  !  We  bru- 
talize them,  and  then  urge  this  brutality  in  bar  to  the  grant 
of  their  rights  !  This  state  of  thin^-s  has  rendered  this 
portion  of  our  population,  a  cancer,  in  the  body  politic  ;  — 
a  living  contagious  pestilence  !  Virtue  and  enterprise  are 
left  without  motive,  because  in  this  country,  they  can  have 
no  reward.  And  hence  this  unhappy  people,  (the  misfor- 
tune is  theirs, —  the  crime  is  ours)  are  rapidly  spreading  a 
fearful  taint, —  an  alarming  virus,  through  all  the  relations 
of  general  society.  This  taint,  this  virus,  not  only  affecting 
the  morals,  but  even  the  blood, —  the  genealogy  of  the 
n;-iii'jK.s.  0  my  country  !  where  is  thy  blush  !  Can  it  only 
be  found  upon  the  cards  of  our  ministers  in  foreign  courts  ! 

Xill.  Gn  the  ground  of  laudable  co-operation  with  cdt 
tJi-e  most  dislhiguished  philanthroinsts  of  modern  times. 

Vi'ho  Would  not  wish  to  be  identified,  in  this  labor  of 
ioYO,  with  such  men  as  Penn,  Wilberforce,  Howard,  Sharp, 
VOL.  II — 24. 


282  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

Clarkson,  Pitt,  Fox,  Buxton,  Brougham,  Stoj.'b.ea,  Rosooe, 
Watson,  Rush,  Finley  and  Caldwell?  —  Numci--,  de.ained 
in  their  connection  with  Africa,  to  sparkle  Witli  uixmort^i 
splendor  on  the  rolls  of  worth  and  fame! — Namr;b  Uiat  will 
live  in  a  thousand  languages  as  long  as  the  majesuo  Krg«r, 
the  father  of  rivers  in  the  land  of  the  negro,  shall  r(»li  iiia 
thundering  tide  to  the  bight  of  Benin,  or  the  bosom  of  the 
ocean!  —  Names,  that  shall  be  handed  down  to  posterity,  in 
characters  of  endearing  remembrance  ! 

XIV.    We  urge  it  on  the  score  of  Duty. 

You  owe  it  to  yourselves,  to  your  country,  to  humanity 
and  religion.  God  requires  it  in  every  language  earth  can 
understand.  The  Jews  were  required  to  recollect  that  they 
had  been  slaves  in  Egypt ;  but  they  refused  to  do  so. 
When  they  saw  their  thrifty,  gain-loving  thousands  distri- 
buted over  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Judea,  when  they  saw 
the  glistening  skies  of  the  eternal  city,  and  tlie  heaven- 
impaling  dome  of  their  God-hallowed  temple,  they  forgot 
the  slavery  of  Egypt ;  and  a  long  captivity  in  Babylon,  was 
necessary  to  remind  them  of  it !  And  Heaven  will  deal 
with  you  in  the  same  way,  unless  you  do  your  duty.  You 
aie  directed  to  "look  unto  the  rock  whence  you  were 
hewn."  Polished  as  you  are  now,  the  quarry*  that  pro- 
duced you  was  rough  enough  1  Also,  to  '•  look  to  the  hole 
of  the  pit  whence  you  have  been  digged,"  Although  you 
may  now  stand  in  a  place  of  generous  enlargement,  recollect 
the  mire  of  the  pit  once  held  your  feet!  In  the  figurative 
language  of  the  Bible,  recollect  that  5^our  "  father  was  an 
Ammonite,  and  your  mother  a  Hiltite!"  How  many  ttvere 
are  in  our  world  who  avail  themselves  of  a  recnac  vrVnn  of 
fortune  to  tell  us  what  they  have  long  been,  as  U>  fiuoily 
distinction,  prating  and  swelling  about  ancestry,  tracing  its 
labyrinths  with  peculiar  certainty,  when  perhaps,  in  fact, 
if  the  truth  were  known,  their  blood  has  been  coursini; 


CLAIMd   OF   AFRICA,  283 

throuofli  slaves  and  vassals  ever  since  the  flood  !  And  it 
now  lies  puddled  in  the  veins  of  childien  worthy  of  their 
sires  !     Kefloct  then  upon  the  humility  of  your  origin. 

You  are  required  to  do  to  others  as  you  would  that  they 
should  do  to  you.  Now  place  yourselves  in  the  condition  ot 
my  clients,  and  let  them  take  your  place.  In  a  change  of 
circumstances,  what  would  you  want  them  to  do  for  you  ? 
Assist  you  in  bettering  your  condition  ?  Certainly.  Well, 
this  you  must,  therefore,  do  for  them,  or  you  have  no  claims 
to  piety  :  for  on  this  maxim  "  hang  all  the  law  and  the 
prophets." 

XV.  On  the  ground  of  Brotherhood. 

God  has  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  the  earth. — 
That  is,  one  man  of  his  creation,  is  the  common  father  of 
us  all.  If  any  difference  exists,  affecting  the  rights  of 
humanity,  he  disavows  the  distinction.  We  are  all  alike 
descended  from  Adam  and  Noah  in  the  same  line,  the  same 
unbroken  succession  of  posterity.  We  are  all  children  of  the 
same  father.  One  God  has  made  us  all.  So  says  the  Bible. 
Our  nature  and  physiology,  our  aptitudes  and  inclinations 
are  the  same.  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  assumption  of  our  nature, 
became  brother  to  every  human  being.  Of  course,  to  the 
African.  He  tasted  death  "for  every  man."  Africa,  therefore, 
is  the  purchase  of  his  blood,  and  is  included  in  the  covenant 
giant  of  his  promise.  We  think,  therefore,  that  you  must 
be  prepared  to  admit  the  indefensibility  of  the  position  we 
oppose.  If  then,  we  refuse  to  assist  them,  we  sin  against 
our  own  nature,  and  insult  the  Author  of  our  redemption, 
in  the  bargain !  As  you  hope,  therefore,  for  the  succor  of 
humanity,  and  the  mercy  of  Heaven,  you  are  bound  to 
yield  us  the  co-operation  asked  I 

XVI.  We  urge  ourj)lea  on  the  ground  of  Benevolence. 
This  is  the  distinguishing  property  of  the  Divine  Nature, 

*'  God  is  love." — It  is  the  pervading  principle,  the  most 


284  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

prominent  feature  of  his  administration  ;  and  until  you 
resemble  him  in  this  respect,  you  are  not  liis  children, 
lie  has  decided  that  it  is  "more  blessed  to  give,  than  to 
receive."  But  where  is  the  man  who  forms  his  character 
upon  this  maxim  ?  Where  is  the  man  who  would  not 
rather  receive,  even  in  the  proportion  of  one,  than  give  in 
that  of  ten?  Do  you  know  him  ?  Who  would  not  rather 
receive,  even  a  small  estate,  than  give  a  large  one  ?  And 
yet,  the  arithmetic  of  doing  and  receiving  good,  conducts 
to  a  directly  different  conclusion.  If  you  see  your  brother 
need  and  close  your  bowels  of  compassion  against  him,  the 
love  of  God  is  not  in  you.  You  might  as  well  look  for 
heaven  and  hell  in  embrace,  as  to  meet  a  man  wantonly 
oppressing  his  brother,  or  refusing  lo  assist  him  possessed 
of  the  relio'ion  of  Jesus  Christ !  What  confidence  can  I 
have  in  the  benevolence  of  a  man,  having  it  in  his  power 
to  assist  me,  when  misfortune  entitles  me  to  aid,  and  refus- 
ing to  do  so  ?  Still  less,  when  by  acts  of  aggression,  he 
proceeds  to  oppress  me  ;  and  none  at  all,  when  he  seeks 
to  deprive  me  of  personal  liberty.  No  !  my  soul  is  my  self, 
and  my  body  is  my  own!  This  compound  of  bone  and 
muscle,  belongs  to  me,  and  lie  who  would  depiive  me  of 
it,  for  purposes  of  gain,  would  do  anything  else,  for  tho 
same  purpose  that  law  and  custom  would  seem  to  sanction. 
He  would  rifle  the  tomb  of  his  father! —  he  would  light  the 
grave  yard  thief,  torch  in  hand,  to  the  tomb  of  her  that 
bore  him  !  he  would  plunder  the  tree  of  life,  and  damn  the 
nations  by  the  sale  of  its  fruit,  if  he  could  make  money  by 
it,  and  secure  the  gratification  of  his  passions  ! 
XVII.  /  appeal  to  you  as  American  Citizens, 
I  appeal  to  the  sacred  charter  of  your  freedom  ;  that 
hallowed  scroll,  which  once  redressed  the  wrongs  of  this 
country,  and  we  trust,  is  yet  to  redress  the  wrongs  of 
Africa.     I  only  ask  you  to  give  her,  what  that  instrument 


CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA.  285 

says,  belongs  to  her  inalienably.  While  gratitude  is  rising 
to  Heaven,  in  one  vast  exhalation,  from  ihe  hearts  of  len 
millions  of  freemen,  for  your  own  liberty  !  convened  and 
rejoicing  liere,  in  all  the  vigor  and  manhood  of  nalional 
independence,  will  you  despise  the  day  of  small  things, 
and  say  to  Africa,  as  the  world  lately  said  to  the  land  of 
Homer  and  Achilles,  "help  yourselves!"  Rather  does 
not  this  occur  most  opportunely,  as  an  occasion  on  which 
you  are  to  give  tone  to  the  freedom  and  rights  of  man  ? 
Away  then,  with  every  avaricious  feeling,  and  pour  your 
charities  into  the  lap  of  Africa!  She  will  bedew  your 
offerings  with  the  tears  of  her  gratitude ;  and  what  eloquence 
could  better  tell  you,  "  it  is  all  she  has  to  give  !"  But  if 
you  refuse  to  assist  her  in  this,  or  in  some  equally  ade- 
quate way,  will  not  your  conduct  be  a  burning  satire  upon 
your  hollow  and  hypocritical  professions?  Will  not 
posterity  laugh  at  the  cheat,  and  nations  yet  unborn  ridi- 
cule the  farce  ?     And  with  infinite  justice  too  ! 

It  remains  for  you,  therefore,  to  exert  yourselves  in 
wiping  away  the  most  defacing  stain, —  that  of  slavery, — 
that  is  seen  lingering  in  the  azure  heaven  of  your  country's 
reputation.  I  appeal  to  you  in  the  name,  and  invoke  you 
by  the  sanctity  of  the  day  and  the  occasion,  lay  not  the 
Mattering  unction  to  your  soul,  that  all  is  well  !  The 
%"uloano  is  sleeping  we  know,  but  the  fire  is  burning  in  its 
depths  !  Your  altars  are  fuming  with  the  offerings  of 
Lbortv, —  vour  annual  harantrues  clow  with  the  scorn  of 
servitudo ;  every  crowd  you  see  is  inflated  with  the  boasted 
disdain  of  a  Yiiaster  ;  but  in  the  midst  of  all,  the  hated  per- 
petual chain  clanks  the  chorus  of  the  song  ;  and  the  eye 
rests  but  a  moment  upon  the  temple  of  liberty,  until  the 
ear  catches  the  echoes  of  the  groans  and  hot  dungeon 
cenoath  ! 


286  CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA. 

XVIII.  TVe     a])pectl    to     the    generous   feelinys, — the 
redeeming  Hympathies  of  the  human  heart. 

Ill  contrasling  Africa  noio,  with  what  she  has  been,  will 
it  be  possible  to  name  her  sunburnt  plains  and  blood- 
stained shores,  without  exciting  commiseration  ?  Look  at 
her  once  illustrious,  but  now  deeply  desolate  plains  !  Look 
at  her  —  crippled  and  cursed  by  the  devastations  of  ages, 
casting  on  her  oppressors  an  imploring  look,  and  in  accents 
of  agony,  that  would  move  the  thrones  of  heaven  with  pity, 
and  inspire  compassion,  even  in  the  bosom  of  the  damned, 
saying,  spare,  0  spare  my  curse-devoted  children,  and 
leave  me  a  remnant !  And  this  prayer,  from  a  nation  that 
originally  produced,  not  solitary  examples,  but  races  of 
heroes !  Eighteen  Ethiopians  were,  at  different  times, 
reigning  monarchs  in  Egypt !  Abyssinia  alone  could,  at  one 
time,  bring  a  hundred  thousand  horse,  and  as  many  camels 
into  the  field  at  once  !  Ethiopia,  in  the  days  of  Asa,  king 
of  Israel,  mustered  a  million  of  men  for  the  field  of  battle! 
History  records  twenty  thousand  African  cities  existing 
contemporaneously  !  Two  of  the  Popes  of  Rome,  in  the 
reputed  regular  episcopal  succession,  were  Africans  !  Afri- 
cans tauiiht  letters  and  the  arts  in  the  lano-uas2;e  of  the 
Pharaohs !  And  even  now,  in  confirmation  of  all  this, 
large  portions  of  ancient  Africa  are  strewed  with  the  ruins 
of  cities,  pyramids,  and  temples  !  And  does  all  this  excite 
no  commiseration  ?  No  fellow-feeling  for  the  wretched  ? 
Must  additional  seas  of  blood  be  shed  by  Christian  capital, 
before  we  will  consent  to  sympathize  with  this  country? 
Do  wc  still  hope,  in  the  language  of  the  whip  and  scourge- 
to  educate  them  in  a  love  of  tyranny  and  oppression  ? 

XIX.  Ladies,  I a'p'peal  to  you. 

Permit  me  to  remind  you,  that  Africa  has  given  to  ths 
world  many  distinguished  females.  The  renowned  qucon 
of  Sheba,  of  Scripture  memory,  was  an  African.    Candace, 


CLAIMS    OF    AFRICA.  SfJ? 

queen  of  Ethiopia,  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  was 
an  African  ;  and  her  name  was  common  to  several  succes- 
sive queens  of  Ethiopia,  whose  history  reminds  us  of  the 
Caesars  of  Rome,  and  the  Ptolemies  of  Egypt,  one  of 
whom,  in  the  days  of  Nero,  met,  repulsed,  and  vanquished 
tlie  victorious  legions  of  Rome.  Tiie  princess  of  Meroe, 
who  swayed  the  scepter  of  Ethiopia,  and  once  dictated 
terms  of  peace  to  Augustus  Csesar,  was  an  African!  — 
Cleopatra,  whose  beauty  was  a  shrine,  before  which  rival 
kings  knelt  in  madness,  was  a  daughter  of  African  Egypt! 
Several  A  frican  females  swayed  successively,  the  Abys- 
sinian scepter.  The  maternal  parent  of  St.  Cyprian  was 
an  African.  Augustine,  Tertullian,  and  Terrence  the 
classic  poet,  were  tlio  sons  of  African  females.  Tlie  wife 
of  Moses  was  a  Cusliite.  The  immortal  mother  of  Han- 
nibal,—  Hannibal,  whose  armies  hung,  like  the  tempests  of 
heaven,  on  the  declivities  of  the  Alps,  was  an  African! 

Again,  we  ask  you  to  look  at  sufiering  humanity  in  the 
shape  of  woman,  all  over  the  wilds  of  Africa,  and  lend  us 
your  aid,  in  helping  them  to  dash  from  their  recoiling  lips 
forever,  the  empoisoned  cup  of  hopeless  degradation  ! 
Look  at  fifty  thousand  African  wives  and  mothers,  who 
love  as  fondly,  and  feel  as  tenderly  as  you  do,  annually 
robbed  and  plundered  of  husband  and  children,  and  all 
those  nameless  felicities  that  create  the  heaven  of  love  and 
of  home !  I  invoke  you  by  the  spectacle  of  ten  millions 
of  females,  having  the  same  physiology  Avith  yourselves, 
doomed  to  be  beasts  of  burden,  and  strangely,  strangely 
doomed  to  purposes,  disavowed  by  the  sacred  character  of 
womanhood!  I  conjure  you,  by  the  outraged  dignity  and 
violated  sanctity  of  your  kind,  to  rise  and  alleviate  tlie 
sufferings  of  those  who  were  created  to  be  as  free  and  as 
happy  as  yourselves  ! 

Many  of  you  will  be  able  to  do  but  little ;  some  of  you 


288  CLAIMS  OF  AFRICA. 

notliing  ;  but  she  wlio  does  not  send  to  Heaven,  a  wisli  for 
the  success  of  our  cause,  in  this  respect  at  least,  is  not  h 
woman,  and  ought  to  be  known  by  some  other  name  ! 
Tell  us  not  that  woman  cannot  be  elevat.(-d  in  Africa! 
Woman,  like  man,  can  be  elevated  anywhere.  Look  at 
Iceland, —  the  Cain  of  inanimate  nature,  the  very  Nod  of 
all  God's  earth  beside, — a  land  here  bound  by  frost  and 
there  heaving  with  fire, —  a  country  which  seems  to  have 
incurred  the  wrath  of  all  the  elements  at  once, —  yet,  even 
here,  woman  is  dignified  ;  nor  can  she  marry,  until  she  is 
acquainted  with  the  literature,  and  especially  the  history 
and  poetry  of  her  country! 

And  finally,  let  it  not  be  assumed  that  you  can  do 
nothing  worthy  of  effort;  you  can  accomplish  much  if  you 
will  to  do  it.  Take  an  instance  from  historv. —  Durin^-  the 
civil  wars  long  protracted  in  England,  three  hundred  patri- 
otic females  went  in  solid  column  to  the  Briiish  house  of 
parliament,  and  demanded  i^eace,  in  the  name  of  God  and 
an  outraged  nation,  and  their  voice  was  heard  !  It  was 
more  than  the  eftbrts  of  senates  and  armed  ley-ions.  "Go, 
and  do  you  likewise."  Then  leave  tlie  event  to  God,  and 
history  will  take  care  of  your  names! 

XX.  In  view  of  the  recompenses  of  eternity. 

The  day  of  reckoning  is  approaching.  Soon  you  will 
be  summoned  to  your  final  audit ;  and  what  will  the  day 
of  the  manifestations  of  consciences  reveal,  on  this  awful, 
this  most  momentuous  subject?  God  of  mankind!  what 
a  fearful  array,  what  an  overwhelming  accumulation  of 
anger  and  destiny  will  then  arrest  you  !  If  you  have 
wronged  your  bmtlier,  if  you  have  refused  to  assist  him, 
when  his  condition  obviously  indicated  the  duty  of  doin--'- 
so  —  the  maxim  upon  which  judgment  shall  proceed  in 
Heaven's  chancery,  is, —  "He  shall  have  judgment  witli- 
put  mercy,  who  hath  shown  uo  mercy  "     I  dare  not  tliink. 


CLAIMS    OF    AlfKiUA.  """ 

especially,  of  the  robbers,  tlie  plunderers,  and  the  oppres- 
sors of  Africa  in  that  day  !  How  appalling  the  account ! 
How  confounding  the  liquidation  !  The  souls  of  a  thou- 
sand ages,  ruined  by  the  curse  of  involuntary  captivity  and 
exile,  shall  accuse  them  before  the  throne  of  ultimate 
appeal !  Almighty  God  has  not  a  single  attribute  in  his 
nature,  that  can  lake  sides  with  them  in  such  an  adjust- 
ment as  this  !  Will  their  tears  avail  ?  Alas  1  the  bottles 
of  Heaven  witness  that  Africa  has  shed  a  thousand  to  their 
one,  wrung  by  their  injustice  !  Will  their  prayers  avail  ? 
No  !  the  oroans  of  Afiica  will  drown  them  in  the  ear  of 
God,  and  they  will  not  be  heard  !  But  I  leave  the  picture 
untinislied, —  a  few  fleeting  years,  and  then  —  would  to 
God  it  were  not  so  !  —  the  wormwood  and  gall  of  the 
damned  must  tell  the  rest,  and  finish  a  story,  for  the  utter- 
ance of  wliich  I  have  no  organs  ! 

XXI.  Ojice  more  and  family,  we  base  our  plea  upon  the 
Prophetic  Assurances  of  the  Bible ;  and  urge  it  upon 
Christian  and  Missionary  principles,  in  hope  of  the  world's 
conversion. 

God  is  interested  in  our  cause.  Messiah  is  engaged  for 
the  success  of  our  enterprise,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  will  co- 
operate with  our  eflPorts.  Address  yourselves  then  to  the 
task,  and  let  your  eye,  penetrating  the  future,  roll  ardent 
over  the  gladdening  scene  of  a  regenerated  continent  :  for, 
in  the  certainly  of  prophetic  vision,  it  is  done  !  Ethiopia, 
from  the  roek-bound  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  to  the 
mountains  of  Good  Hope,  is  "  stretching  out  her  hands  to 
God."  Africa  is  redeemed,  her  deserts  are  blooming,  her 
hamlets  and  cities  are  rising,  the  seats  of  science  and  the 
temples  of  piety  adorn  her  Congo  and  her  Senegal,  while 
the  Niger  and  Gambia  are  everywhere  wafting  the  floating 
monuments  of  her  commerce  !  We  see,  and  0  God  !  what 
a  vision  !  the  captive  mother  of  a  thousand  generations, 
VOL.  II — 25. 


290  CLAIMS   OF    AFRICA. 

bought  and  sold  at  the  caprice  of  fortune,  casting  away 
from  her  the  blood-encrusted  fetters  of  slavery,  and  the 
tattered  insignia  of  pauperism,  and  once  more  linking  her- 
self in  confederation  with  her  Maker !  —  God  is  in  her 
midst  with  a  shout! — she  joins  the  family  of  the  first  born, 
and  takes  her  rank,  her  elevated  rank,  among  the  Nations 
of  the  earth  !  Come  forward  then,  in  the  name  of  God, 
every  one  of  you, —  man,  woman,  and  child,  and  pour  your 
patriotic  and  pious  offerings  into  Heaven's  exchequer  for 
the  relief  of  humanity,  and  having  done  so,  draw  your  bills 
on  futurity,  and  we  pledge  the  truth  of  all  history,  and  the 
veracity  of  Heaven,  your  drafts  shall  be  honored  ;  and  you, 
instead  of  disappointment,  shall  repose  in  the  consumma- 
tion of  your  wishes ! 


USE   AND   ABUSE 


OP 


LETTERED  ATTAINMENT. 


ADDRESS  AT  COMMENCEMENT 


TRANSYLVANIA  UNIVERSITY, 


AUGUST,  1845. 


y 


fUtntlj  gittahmnU. 


Having  finished  your  collegiate  course  and  academic 
studies  in  this  institution,  you  will  soon  have  permission  to 
retire  from  the  scenes  and  interests  of  these  halls,  to  the 
intercourse  of  home,  family,  and  friends,  for  the  purposes 
of  relaxation,  and  more  formal  preparation  for  the  active 
duties  of  life.  We  cannot  dismiss  you,  however,  from 
under  our  care,  without  submitting  some  suggestions,  and 
ofiering  you  a  few  remarks,  by  way  of  advice  and  admo- 
nition. The  brief  time  allowed  us  will  necessarily  confine 
us  to  a  concise  classification  of  hints,  suggestive  it  may  be, 
of  important  principles  and  rules  of  action.  Allow  us  to 
suggest,  then,  that  whatever  may  be  your  destination  in 
life,  important  duties  will  devolve  upon  you,  and  serious 
difficulties  and  dangers  will  beset  your  path.  And  par- 
ticularly will  this  remark  be  signally  verified  in  the  history 
of  every  one  of  you,  if  we  assume  that  you  are  to  become 
men  of  letters,  or  aim  at  distinction  in  professional  life. 

I  need  hardly  remind  you  of  the  maxim  of  antiquity, 
that  "  to  be  idle  is  to  be  vicious."  This  truthful  and  pithy 
aphorism  will  apply  with  equal  point  and  force  to  every 
department,  and  all  the  varieties  of  human  avocation  ;  and 
to  none  more  aptly,  than  the  field  in  which  we  meet  the 
intellectual  producers.  Without  industry  and  application, 
as  well  as  proper  economy  in  the  redemption  and  use  of 


294  LETTERED    ATTAINMENT. 

time,  you  never  can  excel  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
or  its  application  to  useful  purposes ;  nor  will  it  be  possible 
for  you  to  become  respectable  in  the  walks  of  literature,  or 
tlie  enterprise  of  professional  adventure.  Would  you 
become  familiar  with  classic  ground,  and  imbibe  the  inspi- 
ration of  its  primeval  haunts,  would  you  habituate  yourselves 
to  the  rigor  and  abstraction  of  scientific  study,  and  the 
retreats  of  the  muses,  expatriation  from  the  common 
concerns  of  life,  and  the  usual  enjoyments  of  society,  will, 
to  a  great  extent,  be  found  indispensable.  It  is  the  price 
you  must  pay  for  literary  or  professional  distinction ;  and 
without  making  the  sacrifice,  the  eminence  you  ostensibly 
emulate,  but  in  part  decline,  can  never  be  attained.  To 
be  truly  learned  or  great,  is  an  elevation  reached  by  com- 
paratively few.  The  ascent  is  steep  and  difficult,  but  must 
be  essayed  and  overcome,  at  whatever  cost,  in  order  to  the 
repose  of  the  summit. 

It  will  always  rank  among  the  relative  duties  devolving 
on  you,  that  in  all  your  intellectual  associations  and  relations, 
you  steadily  assume  and  preserve  the  habits  of  the  student. 
All  dissipation  and  frivolity,  should  be  scrupulously  avoided, 
as  leading  to  vagrance  of  thought,  and  looseness  of  habit. 
Whatever  may  be  your  station  or  condition  of  life,  every 
scene  or  sally  of  dissipation  in  which  you  indulge,  will 
operate  upon  your  energies  and  prospects,  as  an  accursed 
mildew,  and  will  prepare  you  for  the  repetition  of  it,  by 
reducing  your  voluntary  power  to  resist.  Dissipation  is 
the  tyrant  of  modern  society.  It  is  a  vic«  which  reigns 
triumphant  over  the  human  mind  in  every  part  of  the 
globe,  excepting  only  those  instances  in  which  the  expulsive 
power  of  a  nobler  intravening  passion  operates  to  produce 
a  contrary  result.  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  the 
cultivated  nations  of  antiquity.  The  civilization  of  the 
world,  ancient  and  modern,  has  been  marked  by  the  fatal 


LETTERED    ATTAINMENl!!.  295 

prevalence  of  this  ruinous  vice.  To  exemplify  tlie  truth 
of  the  assumption,  without  referring  to  other  instances,  you 
need  only  turn  to  the  page  of  history,  stained  with  the 
story,  among  a  thousand  kindred  ones,  of  the  haughty 
Nero.  Of  this  imperial  monster  it  is  recorded,  that  in 
early  life,  a  discreet  sobriety,  and  devotion  to  the  business 
and  interests  of  his  station,  were  among  the  many  charac- 
teristics of  his  rising  merits ;  but  rank  and  station  affording 
and  suggesting  the  means  and  appliances  of  dissipation,  he 
lost  the  strength  and  virtue  of  early  habit,  and  so  abandoned 
himself  to  its  sway,  that  before  the  noon  of  life,  with 
avowed  recklessness,  he  neglected  the  affairs  of  his  empire, 
and  opportunities  of  almost  boundless  usefulness,  to  roll  in 
his  chariot  and  2^loy  on  his  fiddle  ! 

Dissipation  invariably  introduces  self-anarchy  and  internal 
misrule.  It  is  the  bane  and  curse  of  all  mental  and  moral 
improvement.  It  will  lead  you  to  the  practice  of  every 
species  of  vice,  and  terminate  in  incalculable  mischief  to  all 
your  best  interests.  Practise  the  self-denial  we  recommend, 
and  you  will  never  regret  your  partial  sequestration  from  the 
gay  and  giddy  world  in  which  you  live.  The  student  who 
finds  himself  imbued  with  the  love  of  letters,  would  much 
rather  follow  Aristides  in  his  exile  from  Athens,  and  Cato 
in  his  retreat  at  Utica,  than  to  mingle  with  the  crowd,  and 
listen  to  the  prate  and  prattle  of  fools  and  sciolists  !  Let 
it  be  a  maxim  with  every  one  of  you,  that  in  literary 
attainment,  he  who  does  not  know  many  things,  knows 
nothina:  well.  Knowleds^e  is  not  derived  from  nature  or 
chance.  It  is  the  reward  of  application  —  the  rich  recom- 
pense of  pains-taking  laborious  industry.  We  therefore 
urge  upon  you  all  to  study  conduct,  as  it  respects  yourselves ; 
giving  it  all  the  distinctive  importance  of  a  separate  topic. 
Pliny  has  somewhere  said,  with  his  usual  force  and  felicity 
of  expression,  that  "  the  perfection  of  behavior  is,  for  a 


296  LETTERED    ATTAINMENT. 

man  to  retain  and  evidence  his  own  dignity,  without 
iufrinying  upon  the  claims  and  liberty  of  others." 

Purity  and  integrity  of  purpose,  connected  witli  the 
pursuits  of  literary  and  professional  application,  will  be  found 
equally  necessary.  You  should  become  learned,  not  because 
others  about  you  desire  it,  but  because  you  esteem  and 
appreciate  the  distinction  yourselves.  No  young  man  is  fit 
to  graduate  in  any  respectable  institution,  who  would  not 
prefer  association  with  an  enlightened  and  virtuous  few,  to 
connection  with  even  the  mightiest  empire  of  the  world, 
distinguished  only  by  its  vastness  !  The  slightest  attention 
to  the  history  of  human  destiny  and  earthly  grandeur,  will 
satisfy  you  of  the  justness  of  this  estimate.  What  do  we 
know  of  the  internal  history  and  fortunes  of  the  unlettered 
empires  of  the  East  ?  And  of  the  unrecorded  scenes  of 
blood  and  carnage,  amid  which  they  rose,  and  stood,  and 
fell  ?  The  far-extended  conquests  of  the  Assyrian  mon- 
archy, and  the  rival  dynasties  of  olden  time,  detain  us 
scarcely  a  moment  in  the  annals  of  the  world  ;  while  the 
little  state  of  Athens  will  ever  prove  the  delight  of  the 
historian,  and  the  pride  of  letters.  Wliere  is  the  student 
who  would  not  have  considered  it  infinitely  more  lionoiable 
to  have  been  a  citizen  of  the  lettered  republics  of  Florence 
and  Geneva,  than  to  have  wandered  a  prince,  amid  the  vast 
dominions  of  the  Russian  Czar  !  Who  would  not  prefer 
the  talents  and  learning,  the  mental  energy  and  intellectual 
fame  of  Cicero,  to  all  the  splendid  magnificen(;e  of  Helioga- 
bulus,  or  the  luxurious  elegance  of  the  accomplished 
Lucullus  !     I  need  not  pause  for  your  answer. 

With  you  then,  young  gentlemen,  solid  learning,  and 
extensive  usefulness,  should  constitute  the  givat  object 
—  the  redeeming  motive  of  all  your  toil.  Seek  to  acquire 
an  expansion  of  intellect,  a  comprehensiveness  of  nnder- 
stauding,  and  these  will  naturally  detach  you  from  the 


LETTERED    ATTAINMENT.  297 

"tess  valuable  eng-rossraents  and  calculations  of  time  and 
sense. 

Self-examination,  and  a  proper  estimate  of  your  present 
attainments,  is  a  topic  replete  with  practical  utility.  This 
will  teacli  you  how  little  you  know,  and  how  much  you 
have  to  learn.  It  will  withhold  you  from  the  senseless 
folly  of  pluming  yourselves  upon  your  superiority  over 
others,  without  reflecting  that  you  too  have  your  superiors, 
in  every  department  of  human  accomplishment.  Self- 
examination  will  promote  humility,  without  which  there  is 
no  real  q-re.-vtness.  It  will  chasten  the  imaiiination,  and 
improve  the  judgment.  It  will  lead  you  to  reflect  that  all 
you  have,  should  be  looked  upon,  as  only  furnishing  facili- 
ties for  the  attainment  of  that  which  you  have  not.  It  will 
induce  you  to  distrust  yourselves,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
inspires  you  with  increased  confidence  in  the  cause  you  seek 
to  advance.  Every  honest  man  will  find  frequent  occasion 
to  accuse  himself.  The  pangs  of  remorse  and  emotions  of 
regret  will,  ever  and  anon,  admonish  him  that  he  is  a  child 
of  imperfection  ;  and  that  his  frailties  plead  for  indulgence 
from  heaven  and  earth.  By  turning  an  inverted  eye 
within, —  by  sojourning  occasionally  in  the  solitude  of  your 
own  bosom,  you  will  perceive  that  happiness  is  not  the 
destination  of  man  on  earth.  The  present  state  is  a  scene 
of  sacrifice,  not  enjoyment ;  and  the  most  we  can  efl'ect  this 
side  the  grave,  is  an  advance  toward  moral  perfection. 

The  practice  of  sound  morality, —  umoavcring  rectitude 
of  conduct,  is  imperiously  requisite,  in  order  to  healthy, 
vigorous  habit,  whetlier  of  soul  or  body.  All  vice  is 
enervating  in  its  tendencies,  and  if  persevered  in,  will 
fatally  determine  every  other  function  of  your  nature,  to 
premature  decline,  and  final  inactivity.  It  is  the  groat 
enemy  of  all  improvement.  All  intellectual  eff"ort  especially, 
is  retarded  by  its  intrusion.     All  the  finer,  kindly  feelings 


298  LETTERED   ATTAINMENT. 

of  the  heart  are  blunted  and  blighted,  and  mental  and  moral 
gloom,  dark  and  enduring,  settles  over  all  the  prospects  of 
the  soul.  The  future  is  spread  out  before  you,  a  land  of 
dimness,  doubt,  and  mystery ;  and  in  the  same  ratio  that 
the  path  of  your  pilgrimage  lengthens,  the  light  and 
buoyancy  of  life  and  hope  will  be  found  to  retire,  until  by 
Heaven's  ordination,  based  upon  the  abuse  of  your  own 
endowments,  and  connected  with  the  regular  operation  of 
moral  causes,  you  successively,  one  after  another,  mingle 
with  the  dead,  and  lay  down  with  the  damned  1  We 
cannot,  therefore,  insist  too  strongly  upon  your  attention  to 
the  duties  of  morality  and  religion.  Without  such  esteem, 
you  will  soon  lose  the  esteem  of  those  who  know  you.  You 
will  incur  the  contempt  of  society,  and  lose  your  reputation, 
both  as  students  and  as  men.  In  the  instance  of  the  edu- 
cated, vice  is  tolerated  in  the  public  mind,  with  less 
extenuation,  than  in  any  other  portion  of  community.  In 
your  attention,  therefore,  to  these  cardinal  obligations  — 
these  great,  primary,  paramount  principles  of  action,  your 
safety  and  happiness  will  mainly  consist.  Amid  all  the 
windings  and  doublings  of  society,  you  should  never  feel  at 
liberty  to  depart  from  the  purest  rectitude  of  principle  and 
action  ;  for  without  such  moral  excellence,  no  man  can  be 
really  good,  or  truly  great. 

We  may  further  suggest,  that  the  attainment  of  truth, 
and  conformity  to  its  laws,  in  every  department  of  inquiry, 
in  the  whole  range  of  human  study,  should  be  the  supreme 
object  of  your  ambition.  With  an  honest  mind,  truth 
cannot  be  an  object  of  fear  or  aversion.  Truth,  in  the 
universal  sense  in  which  we  use  it  here,  is  alike  an  attribute 
of  Deity,  and  an  essential  element  of  all  excellence,  in  any 
way  implying  a  knowledge  of  God  —  of  nature,  or  of  man  ; 
the  impress  and  love  of  which,  as  an  element  of  character, 
ought  to  control  every  thought  and  wish  of  the  heart.     The 


LETTERED    ATTAINMENT.  299 

search  for  truth  is  the  noblest  of  employments,  and  its 
promulgation  the  duty  of  every  human  being.  Not  to  seek 
after  truth,  and  publish  it  when  found,  is  to  stamp  the 
signature  of  value  upon  ignorance,  and  avow  the  love  of 
error,  if  not  falsehood.  "  He  who  hateth  the  truth,"  ia 
the  burning  language  of  one  of  the  finest  poets  in  our 
calendar,  "  shall  believe  a  lie,  and  delusion,  strong  as  hell, 
shall  bind  him  fast."  Truth  is  the  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic of  human  and  heavenly  worth.  The  want  of  it, 
introduces  disorder  into  the  Divine  kingdom,  and  disturbs 
the  harmony  of  the  universe.  It  dissolves  the  connection 
between  heaven  and  earth  :  angels  become  devils,  and  men 
are  found  to  be  their  minions.  In  every  vicissitude  of 
life,  you  will,  therefore,  guard  with  angel-vigilance  against 
any  the  least  departure  from  truth  and  sincerity,  always 
cherishing  the  conviction,  that  the  straightest  line  is  the 
shortest  line,  as  well  in  morals  as  in  geometry. 

Among  the  difficulties  and  dangers  to  which  men  of  letters 
are  subject,  those  arising  from  vanity  and  presumption  are 
by  no  means  the  least.  "  Knowledge,"  in  the  instance  of 
but  too  many,  "  puffeth  up."  It  is  the  misfortune  of  some 
students,  reputed  scholars,  that  when  they  have  plucked  a 
few  flowers,  and  some  early  fruit,  it  may  be,  in  the  garden 
or  fields  of  literature,  they  imagine  they  are  really  learned, 
and  have  nothing  to  do,  but  to  revel  amid  the  fancied 
creations  of  excellence  with  which  they  find  themselves 
surrounded.  Knowledge  with  them,  instead  of  being  made 
subservient  to  the  practical  purposes  of  life,  is  converted 
into  a  mere  idol,  and  worshiped  accordingly  ;  and  thus 
becomes  the  tutelar  divinity,  the  presiding  genius  of  life 
and  fortune.  And  when  these  effeminate  devotees  of  taste 
and  sentiment,  of  Numa  and  the  muses,  are  called  upon  to 
take  their  share  in  the  duties  and  activities  of  useful  life, 
they  plead  their  exemption,  and  furnish  their  apology,  by 


300  LETTERED    ATTAINMENT. 

poiniiiig  us  to  the  summits  of  Parnassus,  and  the  far-oflF 
windings  of  the  Castalian  brook  !  A  life  of  retirement,  and 
sedentary  seclusion,  A'ery  naturally  generates  the  idea  of 
innocence  and  moral  security  ;  and  this  self-gratulation,  in 
its  practical  issues,  ofien  leads  the  individual  devotee  to  tlie 
isoiaied  object  of  his  own  contemplation  and  complacency. 
A  litei'ary  pedant  recluse  of  this  description,  reminds  one  of 
a  palace  of  ice  in  the  regions  of  the  North,  lighted  up  with 
artificial  lustre  and  beauty,  but  cold,  useless,  and  uninhab- 
ited !  The  student,  the  scliolar  should  always  recollect, 
that  simple  unprofitableness,  by  a  law  of  God's  own 
appointment,  is  crime  in  any  man.  The  pressure  of  the 
gentle  sloth,  so  often  felt  by  the  lover  of  books  and  poetical 
reveries,  should  be  resisted.  Under  the  impulse  of  virtuous 
resolution,  you  should  endeavor  to  become  useful  members 
of  society,  at  the  same  time  ihat  you  are  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  various  provinces  of  letters  and  science.  And 
as  a  question  of  the  utmost  moral  magnitude,  jou  ouaht 
never  to  forget,  that  afier  all,  a  knowledge  of  nature  —  of 
language,  and  of  calculation,  can  only  be  viewed,  as  means 
to  an  end;  and  especially,  can  never  bring  you  to  an  approv- 
ing acquaintance  with  the  Creator.  Would  you  learn  his 
nature,  his  plans,  and  Ms  purposes,  you  must  repair  to  tlie 
only  Book  of  wiiich  he  is  tlie  author  ;  and  receive  the  message 
of  his  word,  as  an  exclusive  exhibition  of  the  way  of  liU', 
and  science  of  salvation. 

Another  evil  against  which  we  would  warn  you,  is  lUc- 
rary  envy  —  an  alienation  of  affection  from  men  of  kiiuhvd 
pretensions  with  yourselves.  Of  all  "  the  pedant  humors 
of  learning,"  as  Bacon  says,  none  perhaps  are  more  com- 
mon than  this.  We  need  not  dwell  upon  the  love  ol 
singularity,  the  lilerary  vanity,  the  endemic  pedantry,  liie 
writhing,  furtive  sensibility,  and  especially,  tln'  pi<)\er- 
bial  "odium  theologicum,"  connected  with   tiii.-,  unhapp) 


LETTERKD    ATTAINMENT.  301 

infirmity  of  literary  men.  It  -will  be  sufficient  merely  tc 
refer  you  to  Milton  and  Salmasius,  and  particularly  to 
Newton  and  Leibnitz.  These  immortal  geniuses  wrangled 
foi-  years  about  the  differential  calcvlus,  as  though  the  desti- 
nies of  immortality  had  been  staked  upon  the  issue  !  Strange 
infatuation  !  One  might  almost  as  soon  expect  a  collision 
in  the  celestial  spheres,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  contem- 
plating, as  to  have  looked  for  it  between  these  illustrious 
pupils  of  the  heavens  !  We  are  obliged  to  add,  however, 
that  a  great  portion  of  the  whole  literary  Ciilendar  is  blotted, 
blurred,  and  defaced  with  similar  instances  of  ill-nature,  and 
mutual  recrimination.  Scholars,  certainly,  not  less  than 
others,  should  beai'  in  mind,  that  to  accuse,  malign,  and 
oppress,  is  a  hateful  feature  in  the  character  of  man  ;  and 
that  those  who  pursue  such  a  course,  will  tiiid,  at  least  in 
many  instances,  that  they  are  not  only  inferior  to  those  they 
attempt  to  destroy,  but  really  less  deserving  than  those  tliey 
would  immolate  !  Envy,  of  whatever  kind,  is  a  debased 
and  degrading  passion,  that  feeds  upon  iiself,  and  is  haunted 
only  by  the  image  that  conjures  up  its  torture  !  It  is  a 
passion  unworthy  of  man,  and  ought  only  to  burrow  in  the 
bosom  of  fiends  ! 

As  somewhat  connected  with  the  last  item,  allow  us  to 
warn  you  against  the  seducing  appeals  of  political  faction. 
The  temptations  to  engage  in  the  local,  or  more  general 
politics  of  the  times,  will  always  be  strong  and  imposing-. 
The  ai'dor  too  of  youthful  feeling  will  render  you  an  easy 
prey  to  the  exciting  tactics,  and  inflammatoi'y  productions 
of  the  wily  demagogue.  In  this  way  your  literary  growili 
and  credit  will  be  likely  to  be  repressed  and  impaired,  if  not 
entirely  destroyed;  and  unless  you  are  exceedingly  cautious 
your  best  days  and  powers,  like  those  of  Alcibiades  and 
the  Grachii,  will  be  lost  to  every  thing,  except  sheer  politi- 
cal faction.    When  you  become  scholars,  ripe  and  confirmed. 


302  LETTERED    ATTAINMENT. 

assuming  that  you  intend  to  be  such,  then  we  would  advise 
you,  by  all  means,  to  study  the  profound  masters  of  political 
wisdom,  in  this  and  other  nations.  But  until  then,  we  advise 
you  to  rest  satisfied  with  having  carefully  formed  your  polit- 
ical opinions,  and  the  firm,  but  prudent  expression  of  them, 
in  the  open  and  manly  assertion  and  exercise  of  your 
undoubted  rights.  Examples  from  history  are  not  wan  ting, 
to  show  that  the  most  consummate  statesmen  and  warriors, 
in  any  literary  age,  or  cultivated  part  of  the  world,  have 
been  men  of  letters  and  study  ;  and  were  not  less  devoted  to 
science,  than  to  government  and  arms.  We  need  scarcely 
name  Alexander,  the  accomplished  pupil  of  Aristotle  ;  Xeno- 
phon,  the  glory  of  the  school  of  Socrates,  the  immortal 
leader  of  the  retreat  of  the  "ten  thousand  Greeks,"  and 
author  of  the  expedition  of  Cyrus ;  Caesar,  at  the  head  of 
Roman  literature,  who  recorded  his  thousand  battles,  with 
an  elegance,  only  equaled  by  the  vigor  and  skill  with  which 
he  fouo-ht  them  ;  Charlemagne,  master  of  all  the  science  of 
the  age  in  which  he  lived  ;  the  great  Alfred,  the  laborious 
and  philosophical  translator  of  Boethius  ;  and  finally,  Fred- 
eric, of  Prussia,  who  gathered  around  him  all  the  great 
men  of  the  age,  not  so  much  to  patronize,  as  to  dispute 
and  compete  with  them,  in  literary  disquisitions,  and 
philosophical  ingenuity. 

There  is  another,  and  an  opposite  temptation,  to  which 
you  will  find  yourselves  exposed.  The  grossness  of  the 
common  concerns  and  occupations  of  life,  may  disgust 
you  ;  and  induce  you,  hke  Atticus,  to  relinquish  its  active 
duties  for  the  luxurious  ease  of  retirement  and  study. 
Enamored  of  literature,  you  may  wish  to  pass  your  time 
among  the  muses.  Should  you  be  led  into  temptation  in 
this  way,  your  learning  will  become  effeminate,  and  your 
lives  useless.  Learning  is  only  valuable  as  it  tends  to 
render  you  useful  and  happy.     But  where  is  the  man  who 


LETTERED    ATTAINMENT.  303 

can  be  happy,  when  he  knows  himself  to  be  of  no  use  to 
society  ?  When  he  spends  his  life  "  sporting,"  as  thousands 
of  our  literary  abortions  do,  as  Horace  says,  "  with  Ama- 
ryllis in  the  shade,  and  playing  with  the  tangles  of  Neaera's 
hair  !  "  Rather,  we  would  say,  act  the  part  of  Cicero,  in 
contrast  with  Atticus,  be  active  and  persevering  in  making 
a  good  use  of  the  treasures  of  knowledge,  with  which  you 
have  been  providentially  furnished.  You  must,  therefore, 
deny  yourselves  the  mild  delirium  of  literary  leisure,  the 
tasteful  repose  of  the  library,  and  awake  to  action  and  to 
usefulness.  Let  each  look  upon  himself  as  one  of  the 
numerous  moral  combinations  of  the  universe  ;  and  re- 
member, unless  you  answer  the  end  of  your  creation,  it 
would  have  been  better  for  you  never  to  have  been  born, — 
Life  becomes  the  pander  of  crime,  and  immortality  a  curse  ! 
Another  infirmity,  incident  to  scholars,  against  which 
you  should  always  be  on  your  guard,  is,  an  ill-adjusted, 
indiscriminate  imitation  of  the  eminent.  The  evil  of  which 
we  now  complain,  is  as  common  and  contagious,  as  it  is 
dangerous  and  disreputable.  It  cannot  be  disguised,  that 
many  exhibit  affectation  of  absence  and  irregularity,  merely 
that  they  may  appear  to  be  philosophers  and  deep  thinkers. 
Some  would  be  thought__/?«e  spirits,  and  imitators  of  Horace 
and  Lucretius,  because  forsooth,  they  can  roar  a  catch,  or 
empty  a  cask  of  falernian !  One  copies  after  Tully,  with 
nothing  to  show  but  his  wart.  Another  after  Demosthenes, 
with  nothing  but  his  stammering.  The  satirist  furnishes  us 
with  nothing  of  Juvenal  and  Dryden,  but  their  vulgarity  ; 
and  nothing  of  Churchhill  and  Byron,  but  their  malice. 
One  allows  himself  to  get  drunk,  because  Addison  was  not 
always  sober  ;  and  another  affects  to  be  smart  and  witty,  iu 
imitation  of  the  liquorish  nonsense  of  Sterne  and  Swift. 
And  it  is  in  this  way,  we  regret  to  add,  that  many  literary 
men   present  us  with  all  the   "  contortions  of  the  sybil. 


304  LETTERED    ATTAINMENT. 

■without  any  of  lier  inspiration."  This  plagiarism  —  tliis 
poacliing  among  tlie  labors  of  the  learned,  for  tlie  un- 
woilhy  purpose  of  literary  stealth,  is  too  disg-raceful  to  be 
furtlier  exposed.  It  reminds  one  of  the  amateur,  wlio 
walking  through  a  gallery  of  antiques,  gazed  upon  the 
statues  of  Apollo  and  Venus,  and  went  away  with  his 
imagination  impressed,  and  his  thoughts  occupied  with 
nothing,  but  the  recollection  that  they  were  naked  !  A 
fit  representation  this,  of  the  worthless  dilettante  of  modern 
literature  ! 

I  need  not  adduce  proof  to  convince  you,  that  as  stu- 
dents, you  are  in  danger  of  mental  gloom  ;  —  of  acquiring 
an  habitual  temperament  of  melancholy.  Your  isolation 
from  society,  devotion  to  study,  and  a  continuity  of 
research,  will  naturally,  almost  necessarily,  alienate  you 
from  the  invigorating  relaxations  and  amusements  of  social 
life.  When  the  mind  becomes  thoroughly  tinctured  with 
this  mild  and  imposing  passion,  all  the  decisions  of  Provi- 
dence, and  the  details  of  our  earthly  lot,  seem  to  cherish 
its  growth  and  continuance,  and  with  a  mind  of  acute 
sensibility,  it  presents  itself  almost  as  the  result  of  destiny. 
In  relation  to  this  subject,  great  caution,  and  wary  effort 
will  be  necessary  ;  and  at  the  same  time  that  you  renounce 
the  vicious,  polluting  levities  of  a  woild,  fallen  off  from 
God,  and  lying  in  wickedness,  endeavor,  by  all  possible 
means,  to  avoid  the  fatal  result,  of  sinking  under  the  decep- 
tious  pressure  of  intellectual  despondency. 

Again,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  literary  men  are  prone 
to  be  led  into  philosopical  and  religious  error  ;  trusting, 
perhaps,  too  much  to  themselves,  in  the  exploration  of  the 
fields  of  knowledge,  and  relying  too  little  upon  historical 
fact,  the  developments  of  experience,  and  the  testimony  of 
Divine  revelation,  they  have  frequently  been  fuund,  with- 
out any  turpitude  of  intention,  to  diverge   from  the  most 


LETTERED    ATTAINMENT.  305 

obvious,  common-sense  truths,  both  in  philosophy  and 
religion.  This  is  an  evil  deeply  to  be  deplored  ;  and  is 
peculiarly  worthy  your  candid  consideration.  You  should 
always  recollect,  that  no  amount  of  learning  can  consecrate 
error,  or  excuse  vice.  And  it  may  not  be  amiss  here  to 
remark,  that  the  errors  and  hallucinations  of  men  of  learn- 
ing, have  a  singular  effect  upon  the  lower  orders  of  society, 
in  the  light  of  example  and  authority  ;  for  Aristotle  is  right 
when  he  says,  that  "the  defects  of  great  men  furnish  tho 
principal,  and  almost  the  only  consolation  of  dunces." 

Such,  very  briefly,  are  the  duties  and  dangers  of  men 
of  letters.  Do  you,  young  gentlemen,  intend  to  become 
such  ?  Do  you  steadily  aim  at  the  enviable,  but  danger- 
ous distinction  ?  If  so,  discharge  the  duties  enforced,  and 
avoid  the  dangers  we  have  pointed  out.  A  few  fleeting 
seasons,  at  most,  will  place  you  all,  noticeably,  upon  the 
theater  of  life  ;  and  here,  we  wish  you  to  act  the  part  of 
men,  fearing  God,  and  useful  to  your  fellows.  We  wish 
you  to  present,  not  the  factitious  images,  but  the  substan- 
tial realities  of  moral  and  Christian  virtue.  We  wish 
integrity  and  principle,  as  the  substratum  of  conduct,  to  be 
storied  and  charactered  in  all  your  actions,  sufferings,  and 
intercourse  througli  life.  What  your  destination  in  life 
may  be,  we  are,  of  course,  unable  to  say,  but  we  should 
wrong  ourselves,  were  we  not  to  hope,  (and  on  this  occa- 
sion, especially,  send  to  Heaven  our  wishes  to  this  efl'ect,) 
that  you  will  aspire  to  eminence  and  usefulness.  Are  you 
destined  to  be  philosophers,  we  trust  you  will  leave  to  pos- 
terity, at  least,  germs  of  future  discovery.  If  poets,  that 
you  will  not  only  occupy  a  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame, 
but  that  you  will  inflame  your  contemporaries  and  future 
generations,  with  the  love  of  moral  excellence  !  If  histo- 
rians, may  all  that  is  great  and  good  give  value   to  your 

pages  !     If  statesmen,  may  you  stem  the  torrent  of  corrup- 
voi.  II — 26. 


306  LETTERED  ATTAINMENT. 

Gon,  and  direct  the  rising  virtue  of  an  indignant  people  ! 
If  ministers,  with  Paley,  may  you  make  truth  intelligible, 
and  with  Fenelon,  invest  it  with  the  charms  of  resistless 
persuasion  !     Are  you  jurists,  with  Mansfield,  may    you 
luminously  contribute  to  the  perfect  and  effective  adminis- 
tration of  justice  !     And  if  moralists,  like  Johnson,  give 
"  ardor  to  virtue,  and  confidence  to    truth  !"     Recollect 
that  literature,  whether  it  be  her  pride  or  her  misfortune, 
will  disdain  to  divide  the  empire  of  your  heart.     She  will 
scorn  to  enter  into  partnership  with  the  love  of  money,  or 
the  ambition  of  noisy  distinction,  or  any  other  inordinate, 
earth-born  affection  !     Hardly,  indeed,  will  she  submit  to 
be  encumbered  with  the  ordinary  anxieties  of  the  world, 
much  less,  to  follow  in  the  train  of  venality  and  corruption  ! 
Once  more,  and  in  conclusion,  young  gentlemen,  you 
who  have  just  received  the  credentials  of  graduation  in 
this  institution,  only  pursue  the  course  we  have  recom- 
mended, and  genius,  in  spite  of  adverse  fate,  will  plant  his 
standard  upon  Parnassus,   of  classic  memory,   and    give 
your  names  to  immortality  !     Go  then,  in  the  name  of  God, 
and  when  called  upon,  enter  upon  the  manly  duties  of  life 
and  meet  its  dangers,  you  have  nothing  to  fear  !     Time 
will  become  tributary  to  your  virtuous  fame,  and  death 
itself  will  subscribe  to  the  glory  of  your  efforts  I 


ADDRESS  ON  TEMPERANCE. 


PUBLISHED   BY    ORDER   OF 


THE    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 


OF   THE 


METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 


PHILADELPHIA,  MAY,  1832. 


IlliKjrns  0n  ftm^nann* 


The  delegates  from  the  several  annual  conferences  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  General  Conference 
assembled  at  Philadelphia,  May,  1832,  after  due  inquiry 
and  deliberation,  have  deemed  it  necessary  to  submit  to  the 
consideration  of  the  ministry  and  membership  of  the  church 
throu"-hout  the  United  States  the  followino-  remarks  and 
advice  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  viewed  as  a  question 
of  intense  and  growing  interest,  now  extensivel}^  occupying 
the  attention  of  the  religious  public  and  the  American 
people  in  general. 

The  duty  and  necessity  of  strict  and  exemplary  abstinence 
from  indulgence  in  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  and  intoxicating 
liquors  of  every  sort,  will  be  found  to  have  been  a  part  of 
the  moral  discipline  of  our  church  fi'om  the  earliest  date 
of  its  existence  and  operations  ;  and  it  is  known  to  those 
who  are  at  all  familiar  with  our  history,  that  we  have 
accomplished  much  in  preserving  those  immediately  under 
our  charge  proverbially  pure  from  the  stain,  and  free  from 
the  curse,  of  intemperance.  Nevertheless,  our  success  has 
not  been  entire,  and  much  remains  to  be  done  before  we 
can  realize  our  wishes  and.  the  great  object  of  our  lono- 
continued  efforts  in  this  very  interesting  department  of 
Christian  morals.  And  it  is  in  order  to  eft'ect  this,  we  now 
address  you,  as  the  public  servants  of  the  church,  and 


310  ADDRESS   ON   TEMPERANCE. 

officially  entrusted  with  the  administration  of  its  discipline. 
We  have  too  much  confidence  in  the  intelligence  and  piety 
of  the  persons  addressed  —  the  great  body  of  our  charge  — 
to  suppose  for  a  moment  that  any  apology  is  necessary 
for  offering  you  the  reflections  and  advice  we  propose, 
believing,  as  we  do,  that  the  intemperance  we  discourage, 
and  would  banish  from  the  church  and  the  world,  is  alike 
unworthy  and  unbecoming  all  who  bear  the  Christian  name, 
or  would  be  considered  useful  and  reputable  members  of 
society  in  general.  The  vice  of  which  we  complain,  and 
against  indulgence  in  which  we  would  urgently  and  affec- 
tionately remonstrate,  is  broadly  and  unsparingly  condemned 
in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  as 
directly  inconsistent  with  Christian  character,  and  fatally 
contravening  all  the  hopes  and  claims  of  moral  excellence. 
As  Christians,  we  bow  to  the  authority  of  inspiration ;  and 
its  language  is  too  explicit  and  solemn  on  this  subject  to 
be  misunderstood,  or  waived,  by  any  who  are  not  utterly 
reckless  both  of  the  welfare  of  this  life  and  the  more 
weighty  interests  of  immortality  in  another. 

In  the  language  of  the  Bible  on  this  subject  there  is 
nothing  deficient  or  equivocal;  and  although  we  do  not 
propose  an  enlarged  discussion,  yet  we  cannot  refrain  from 
asking  your  attention  to  its  fearful  and  varied  testimony 
against  the  sin  of  intemperance,  the  condemnation  of  which 
is  uttered  in  every  variety  of  form  and  phrase.  "  Be  not 
drunk  with  wine  —  wine  and  new  wine  take  away  the 
heart  —  wine  is  a  mocker  —  strong  drink  is  raging  —  he 
transgresseth  by  wine  —  they  have  erred  through  wine, 
and  through  strong  drink  are  out  of  the  way  —  the  priest 
and  the  people  have  erred  through  strong  drink  —  woe  to 
them  that  rise  up  early  to  follow  strong  drink,  and  continue 
till  wine  inflame  them :  therefore  hell  hath  enlarged  herself, 
and  opened  her  mouth  without  measure  —  woe  to  them  that 


ADDRESS   ON   TEMPERANCE,  311 

drink  wine  in  bowls  —  be  not  among  wine-bibbers  —  who 
bath  woe,  sorrow,  contentions,  and  babbMhgs  ?  they  that 
continue  long  at  the  wine ;  they  that  go  to  seek  mixed  wine 
—  woe  to  them  that  are  mighty  to  drink  wine,  and  men  of 
strensfth  to  minijle  strong  drink  —  he  is  a  drunkard,  and 
all  the  men  of  the  city  shall  stone  him  with  stones,  that  he 
die  —  it  is  not  for  kings  to  drink  wine,  nor  princes  strong 
drink  —  he  who  shall  add  drunkenness  to  thirst,  the  Lord 
shall  blot  out  his  name  from  under  heaven  —  woe  to  the 
drunkards  of  Ephraim :  they  shall  be  trodden  under  foot  — 
while  they  are  drunken  they  shall  be  destroyed  as  stubble 
full  dry  —  blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  when  thy  princes  eat 
and  drink  for  strength,  and  not  for  drunkenness  —  woe  to 
him  that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink,  that  putteth  the  bottle 
to  his  mouth,  and  maketh  him  drunken  !  "  A  statute  of 
perpetual  obligation,  throughout  all  generations  of  the 
priesthood,  was,  that  they  were  not  to  "  drink  wine  or  strong 
drink"  while  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  tabernacle; 
and  in  another  connection  the  obligation  is  made  equally 
binding :  "Neither  shall  the  priests  drink  wine  when  they 
enter  into  the  inner  court."  The  drunkenness  of  Noah, 
Lot,  Nadab,  Abihu,  and  Nabal,  incurred  the  displeasure 
of  Heaven,  while  the  vow  of  the  humble  Rechabites,  "Wo 
will  drink  no  wine,"  is  commemorated  by  the  special  and 
public  approval  of  Jehovah  ;  and  to  these  we  might  add 
the  examples  of  the  wife  of  Manoah,  Hannah,  Samuel, 
and  the  Nazarites,  as  securing  the  sanction  of  Divine  com- 
mendation. We  need  scarcely  add  that  these  solemn  and 
admonitory  lessons  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  on  the  subject 
of  intemperance  are  enforced  in  the  language  of  persuasion, 
as  well  as  the  most  fearful  denunciation. 

And  the  language  and  warnings  of  the  New  Testament 
are  equally  decisive  and  uncompromising  in  the  utter 
condemnation  of  the  vice  of  intemperance  in  all  its  forms : 


312  ADDRESS    ON    TEMPERANCE. 


"  Drunkards  shall  not  inherit  the  kingxlom  of  God." 
Di'unkenness  i§  ranked  amono-  "  the  works  of  the  flesh," 
and  is  expressly  said  to  exclude  the  dehnquent  from  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  "  IF  any  man  be  a  drunkard,  with 
such  a  one,  no,  not  to  eat."  Excess  of  wine  is  classed 
with  the  enormilies  of  "  lasciviousness,  revelinfs,  and 
banquetings."  It  is  the  ofi^spring  of  darkness:  "  They  that 
are  drunken  are  drunken  in  the  night ;  "  "  Take  heed  that 
your  hearts  be  not  overcharged  with  drunkenness  ;  "  "  Let 
us  walk  honestly,  not  in  drunkenness  —  be  not  drunk  with 
wine —  the  evil  servant  who  drinks  with  the  drunken  shall 
be  cut  asunder  and  have  his  portion  with  hypocrites  and 
unbelievers."  The  Pliarisees  thought  they  could  not  more 
effectuallv  reproach  our  Lord  than  to  style  him  "a  wine- 
bibber!  "  St.  Paul  ranks  it  among  the  virtues  of  Christian 
bishops  and  deacons,  that  they  "be  not  given  to  wine." 
Look  also  at  the  example  of  John  the  Baptist,  "and  a 
greater  than  he."  The  stern  and  unyielding  purity  of  the 
former  in  this  as  well  as  in  other  particulars  is  held  up  to 
the  notice  and  imitation  of  all  "who  name  the  name  of 
Christ."  And  when  the  intoxicating  cup  usually  tendered 
to  suffering  malefactors,  to  procure  inse-nsibility  to  pain  and 
lessen  the  agony  of  death,  was  by  the  courtesy  of  Jewish 
and  Roman  cruelty  tendered  our  Lord,  the  illustrious  suf- 
ferer disdained  the  unholy  succor,  and  trod  the  winepress 
of  the  wrath  of  his  Father  without  the  dishonorable  resort 
of  accepting  unworthy  means  to  sustain  him  in  the  conflict. 
Would  to  God  that  we,  that  all  Christians,  in  affliction  and 
trial,  might  do  as  he  did,  in  the  hope  of  overcoming  with 
him  1  And  allow  us  to  add  here,  that  such  are  the  criminal 
and  fatal  eff"ects  of  this  species  of  intemperance  thus  forcibly 
portrayed  and  denounced  in  the  Bible,  that  wine,  used  as 
a  treneric  term,  denoting  strong  intoxicaiing  drinks  of 
every  kind,  and  confining  the  remark  to  its  abuse,  is  made 


ADDRESS    ON    TEMPERANCE.  313 

to  symbolize  the  wrath  of  God  and  the  misery  of  the 
damned  in  a  future  state  of  retribution  !  It  follows,  there- 
fore, thai  no  person  of  ordinary  intelligence  can  consult  the 
pages  of  inspiration  without  perceiving  at  once  that  the 
common  use  of  alcoholic  intoxicating  liquors,  of  whatever 
kind,  is  stritidy  and  unequivocally  forbidden  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, as  plainly  and  fatally  injurious  to  the  best  interests 
of  man,  in  time  and  in  eternity  ;  and  as  in  other  instances, 
so  in  this,  the  beneficent  Author  of  our  being  has  unal- 
terably conformed  the  constitution  and  laws  of  our  nature 
to  the  pre-existing  purpose  of  his  will  in  relation  to  the 
immutable  principles  of  right  and  wrong,  and  accordingly 
all  our  physical  aptitudes  and  moral  instincts  resist  the 
allurements  and  motives  to  a  course  of  intemperate  indul- 
gence, until  a  series  of  vicious  experiment  and  training, 
offering  rebellion  to  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature,  and 
grossly  violative  of  every  principle  of  duty  and  moral 
obligation,  shall  have  prepared  the  victims  of  intemperance 
for  all  that  is  monstrous  in  folly  or  hateful  in  crime. 

God,  who  is  the  Author  of  nature,  no  less  than  of  reve- 
lation, has  abundantly  provided  for  the  essential  happiness 
and  relative  usefulness  of  mankind  ;  but  the  experience  of 
all  ages  and  nations  has  furnished  the  most  indubitable 
proof  that  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  is  totally  inconsistent 
witli  either,  and  thus  opposed  to  the  benevolent  intentions 
of  Heaven  and  provisions  of  nature,  must  be  considered  as 
a  transgression  of  the  will  of  God. 

And  this  view  of  the  subject  becomes  the  more  convincing 
and  striking  when  we  attend  to  the  peculiar  nature  and 
properties  of  all  intoxicating  drinks.  In  all  these  alcohol 
is  the  principle  of  all  intoxication,  and  it  has  been  clearly 
demonstrated  by  the  researches  and  experiments  of  chem- 
istry and  pharmacy,  in  connection  with  the  structure  and 

pathology  of  the  human  frame,  that  alcohol  is  au  essentially 
VOL.  u — 27. 


314  ADDRESS    ON   TEMPERANCE. 

active  poison,  and  that  the  constant  use  of  it,  in  any  shape, 
must  necessarily  injure  health,  and  finally  destroy  life  itself. 
The  mischievous  princijyle  of  inebriety,  of  which  we  now 
speak,  cannot  be  made  to  nourish  and  invigorate  the  body. 
It  is  by  the  appointment  of  Heaven  and  the  constitution 
of  our  common  nature  rendered  incapable  of  producing  such 
a  result.  Its  conversion  into  chyle,  after  being  received 
into  the  stomach,  and  its  subsequent  appropriation  by 
means  of  the  blood-vessels,  for  the  purpose  of  renewing 
and  invigorating  the  body,  are  known  to  be  impossible. 
No  alcoholic  substance  can  be  controlled,  digested,  or 
appropriated  by  the  stomach.  When  received  there  it 
immediately  diflfuses  itself  throughout  the  whole  system  — 
it  penetrates  the  very  substance  of  the  body,  the  brain, 
the  nerves  and  the  blood-vessels.  All  become  excited 
and  inflamed  ;  the  functions  of  the  entire  system  become 
deranged  ;  its  action  irregular,  and  the  well-adjusted  play 
of  its  parts  and  mechanism  disturbed  and  disordered;  often 
derancnno-  not  only  the  functions  of  the  body,  but  even  its 
oro-anic  structure ;  and  in  whatever  assignable  measure 
alcohol,  found  in  all  spirituous  liquors,  and  in  most  of  our 
wines  and  malt  drinks,  may  be  drunk,  these  effects  must 
necessarily  follow,  in  a  proportionate  degree.  And  hence 
the  wisdom  and  kindness  of  our  Creator,  manifestly  shown 
in  the  fact  that  the  appetite  for  this  popular  but  mischievous 
poison  is  unnatural,  artificially  acquired,  and  a  perversion 
of  the  dictates  and  provisions  of  nature.  And  in  our 
iudgment,  this  view  of  the  subject  furnishes  us  with  a 
strong  additional  argument  in  favor  of  the  utter  rejection 
of  alcoholic  drinks,  except  as  a  medicine,  when  the  want 
of  proper  skill,  or  other  adequate  means,  may  authorize, 
in  rare  instances,  an  exception  to  the  general  rule  of  total 
abstinence. 

We  are  tli©  more  disposed  to  pross  the  aeeessity  of 


ADDRESS    ON    TEMPERANCE.  316 

entire  abstinence,  because  there  seems  to  be  no  safe  line  of 
distinction  between  the  moderate  and  immoderate  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks,  —  the  transition  from  a  temperate  to 
an  intemperate  use  of  them  is  almost  as  certain  as  it  is 
insensible  ;  indeed,  with  us  it  is  a  question  of  great  moral 
interest,  whether  a  man  can  indulge  in  their  tise  at  all,  and 
be  considered  temperate.  We  have  seen  that  the  natural, 
unperverLed  appetite  of  man  does  not  ask  for  them,  and 
the  only  motive  that  can  possibly  determine  such  an 
indulgence,  is  to  obtain  from  them  a  vivid  impression  upon 
the  nerves,  more  or  less  agreeable  at  the  time,  but  utterly 
oblivious  of  better,  because  more  salutary  feelings.  This 
result  is  unnatural,  and  of  course  it  oft'ers  violence  to  the 
constitutional  order  and  functionary  uniformity  of  nature, 
and  we  respectfully  submit  whether  the  means  therefore 
must  not  be  sinful. 

It  has  been  already  remarked,  that  the  essential  con- 
stituent in  all  intoxicating  liquors,  producing  inebriety,  is 
alcohol,  and  that  this  is  found,  in  large  proportions,  not 
only  in  the  different  kinds  of  distilled  liquors,  but  also  in 
most  of  the  wines,  and  vinous,  as  well  as  malt  preparations 
drunk  in  this  country.  Who  is  not  alarmed,  not  to  say 
confounded,  when  he  reflects  upon  the  amount  of  this 
bewitcliing  poison  which  is  found  in  all  our  fashionable 
drinks  1  How  can  a  Christian  account  to  his  conscience 
and  his  God  for  swallowing  daily  an  amount  of  carbon, 
oxygen,  and  hydrogen,  of  which  alcohol  is  compounded, 
and  which,  if  taken  separately  from  other  neutralizing 
ingredients,  would  deprive  him  of  life  perhaps  in  a  few 
hours  !  In  a  bottle  of  brandy,  for  example,  (we  are  guided 
in  the  estimate  by  Saussure  and  Brande,)  there  is  more 
alcohol,  by  actual  measurement,  than  water ; —  in  our  best 
wines,  say  Port  and  Madeira,  as  received  and  used  in  this 
country,  nearly  one  half  is  alcohol ;  about  six  ounces  of 


316  ADDRESS    ON    TEMPERANCE. 

this  poison  will  be  found  in  a  quart  of  strong  cider,  and 
little  less  than  four  in  a  bottle  of  porter  or  ale  !  In  a  brief 
address,  however,  we  can  only  bring  these  factsnnto  view 
in  a  summary  way.  We  propose  them  for  examination 
and  reflection,  and  we  implore  the  thousands  under  our 
charge  to  bestow  upon  the  whole  subject  the  attention  it  so 
obviously  and  pressingly  deserves  and  demands. 

The  great  and  increasing  interest,  the  deep  and  lasting 
stake  we  must  always  have,  as  a  church,  in  preventing  and. 
curing  the  evils  of  intemperance,  will  furnish  an  obvious 
and  commanding  vindication  of  the  course  we  have  adopted, 
in  making  this  appeal  to  the  good  sense  and  enlightened 
piety  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  We  consider 
all  intemperance,  whether  in  its  incipient  or  more  advanced 
stages,  as  an  abuse  of  the  physical  force  and  vigor  of  man, 
and  seriously  deducting  from  the  integrity  of  his  mental 
powers  and  moral  purposes ;  and  we  therefore  invoke  the 
aid  of  our  people  in  an  attempt  to  banish  the  evil  from  our 
church  altogether. 

We  would  remark  here,  also,  that  the  immorality  and 
curse  of  intemperance  are  most  fearfully  evinced,  not  only 
in  its  immediate  and  incipient,  but  in  its  final  effects  and 
relative  bearings  upon  the  confirmed  intemperate,  and 
others  found  in  necessary  connection  or  casual  contact 
with  them  ;  impiety  and  worthlessness,  disease  and  death, 
are  its  necessary  attendants.  God  and  natuie  have  so 
disowned  and  frowned  upon  it,  as  to  stamp  it  wiih  liie 
character  of  unmingled  evil.  There  is  no  one  redeeming 
element  or  aspect  about  it.  In  its  best  and  most  imposing 
forms  it  offers  nothing  but  plague  and  pollution.  God 
forbids  it ;  it  is  the  object  of  nature's  abhorrence,  and  its 
uniform  effects  demonstrate  that  to  persist  in  its  practice  is 
to  renounce  the  friendship  of  Heaven,  and  claim  kindred, 
not  with  brutes,  but  inforuals.     All,  therefore,  must  look 


ADDRESS    ON   TEMPERANCE.  317 

apon  it  as  an  evil  unhallowed  by  any,  the  smallest  good. 
We  have  seen  that  it  invariably  undermines  healih  and 
leads  to  death,  and,  in  most  instances,  death  untimely  and 
disgraceful.  However  insidious  in  its  progress,  it  is  fatal 
in  its  issue.  We  need  not  ask  you  to  look  at  the  brutal, 
the  polluted,  and  demoralizing  victim  himself, — a  curse 
and  a  nuisance,  whatever  his  name,  or  wherever  found. 
We  need  not  quote  his  beggared  family  and  heart-broken 
connections.  We  need  not  cite  you  to  the  wretched  thou- 
sands found  as  criminals  in  your  penitentiaries,  patients  in 
your  hospitals,  lunatics  in  your  asylums,  and  vagabonds 
in  your  streets  !  Few,  perhaps  are  aware  of  the  extent, 
the  secret  and  insidious  spread  of  the  evil  we  would  arrest. 
Its  destructive  influence  is  felt  in  every  department  of 
business,  duty,  and  society :  in  our  legislative  halls ;  at  the 
bar  of  justice  ;  upon  the  judicial  bench,  and  even  in  the 
pulpit.  A  large  portion,  we  fear,  of  the  most  important 
and  responsible  business  of  the  nation,  is  often  transacted 
under  the  influence,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  of  alcoholic 
excitement ;  and  can  those  be  innocent  who  contribute  to 
secure  such  a  result,  whether  by  the  pestilential  example 
of  temperate  drinking,  as  it  is  called,  or  the  still  more 
criminal  means  of  furnishing  the  poisonous  preparation 
by  manufacture  and  trafiic  for  the  degradation  and  ruin  of 
others  ? 

The  man  who  drinks  intemperately  ruins  himself,  and  is 
the  cause  of  much  discomfort  and  inquietude,  and  perhaps 
actual  misery,  in  the  social  scene  in  which  he  moves  ;  but 
the  manufacturer,  and  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  trafiic 
of  ardent  spirits  and  other  intoxicating  liquors,  do  the  work 
of  death  by  wholesale  ;  they  are  devoted  by  misguided 
enterprise  to  the  ruin  of  human  kind,  and  become  directly 
accessary,  although  not  intended  by  them,  to  the  present 
shame  and  final  destruction  of  hundreds  and  thousands. 


318  ADDRESS    OK   TEMPERANCE. 

And  we  gravely  ask,  with  no  common  solicitude,  can  God, 
who  is  just,  as  well  as  good,  hold  that  church  innocent 
which  is  found  cherishinff  in  her  bosom  so  awful  and 
universal  an  evil  ?  We  have  seen  this  evil  broadly  and 
unequivocally  denounced  in  the  Scriptures,  as  an  utter 
curse,  and  big  with  ruin  to  the  best  hopes  of  man.  Nature 
and  Providence  xmite  their  testimony,  and  award  to  it  the 
same  condemnation.  Our  church  has  long  borne  a  similar 
testimony,  and  this  is  especially  true  of  the  father  and 
founder  of  Methodism. 

He  says,  of  ardent  spirits  in  general,  "  First  of  all 
sacredly  abstain  from  all  spirituous  liquors  ;  touch  them 
not  on  any  pretense  whatever."  On  their  manufacture  and 
sale  he  remarks :  "It  is  amazing  that  the  preparation  or 
selling  of  this  poison  should  be  permitted,  I  will  not  say 
in  any  Christian  country,  but  in  any  civilized  state  !  "  He 
pronounces  the  gain  of  the  trafficker  in  ardent  spirits, 
"the  price  of  blood,"  and  adds,  emphaticallv :  "Let  not 
any  lover  of  virtue  and  truth  say  one  word  in  favor  of 
this  monster.  Let  no  lover  of  mankind  open  his  mouth  to 
extenuate  the  guilt  of  it.  Oppose  it  as  you  would  oppose 
the  devil,  whose  offspring  and  likeness  it  is."  Of  grocers, 
in  this  traffic,  he  affirms :  "  They  murder  mankind  by 
wholesale,  and  drive  them  to  hell  like  sheep."  He 
denounces  both  the  manufacture  and  the  sale  of  spirituous 
liquors,  except  for  mechanical  and  medicinal  purposes,  as 
a  gross  immorality ;  declaring :  "  None  can  gain  in  this  way, 
by  swallowing  up  his  neighbor's  substance,  without  gaining 
the  damnation  of  hell ! "  And  hence  one  of  the  orio-iual 
rules  of  the  Methodist  societies,  as  drawn  up  by  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  precluded  "drunkenness,  buying  or  selling 
spirituous  liquors,  or  drinking  them,  except  in  cases  of 
extreme  necessity."  And  we  cannot  but  fear  that  the 
alteration  of  this  rule  by  the  American  Methodists,  and  the 


ADDRESS   ON   TEMPERANCE.  319 

substitution  of  another  less  unequivocal  in  its  character, 
since  1790,  have  been  attended  with  but  little  good  to  any-, 
and  perhaps  witli  direct  injury  to  thousands.  And  now 
that  the  engrossing  question  of  total  abstinence  is  arresting 
the  attention  of  most  evangelical  churches  in  the  United 
States,  and  in  many  of  them  becoming  a  term  of  member- 
ship, we  are  fully  convinced  it  would  be  criminal  in  us  to 
remain  silent,  and  not  lend  our  aid  and  co-operation  in 
purging  the  churches  and  redeeming  the  nation  from  this 
insidious,  yet  alarming  and  desolating  evil. 

Finally,  persuaded  as  we  are  that  intemperance,  in  all 
its  aspects  and  gradations,  is  a  physical  evil,  unmitigated 
by  any  mixture  of  good,  and  also  a  moral  offense  against 
the  laws  of  God,  and  the  claims  of  Christian  piety,  unmodi- 
fied by  any  indemnifying  consideration  whatever,  we  wouid 
at  all  times,  but  at  this  time  especially,  when  such  combined 
and  powerful  efibrts  are  making  to  arrest  the  evil,  cast  in 
our  dividend  of  social  and  moral  aid,  and  do  all  in  our 
power  to  accomplish  an  object  as  every  way  momentous  as 
it  is  desirable.  And  we  close  by  remarking,  that  we  look 
upon  all  as  implicated  in  the  duty  and  the  interest,  and  wo 
shall  cheerfully  and  promptly  concur  with  all  in  an  effort 
to  expel  the  demon  of  intemperance,  not  only  from  our 
churches,  but  from  the  nation,  whose  welfare  and  fortunes 
must  be  always  viewed  in  intimate  connection  with  ita 
morals. 


COMPREHENSIVE  ANALYSIS 


OF    THE 


ELEMENTS  AND  PURPOSES  OF  LITERATURE. 


ADDKESS  ON  COMMENCEMENT  DAY. 


'       AUGUSTA    COLLEGE,    1839. 


€hmntts  anb  |ttr^0su  0f  f  iinatitr^ 


One  word  with  regard  to  the  subject  on  which  we  address 
you.  Analysis  may  be  more  or  less  minute  or  rigid, — 
exact  or  immethodical.  That  which  we  propose  is  simply 
such  an  examination  of  the  subject,  as  will  enable  us  to 
detach  the  principal  individual  elements  from  the  mass,  so 
as  to  ascertain,  satisfactorily,  to  what  account  they  may  be 
turned,  whether  separately  or  conjunctively.  And  accor- 
dingly, we  merely  aim  at  a  general  comprehensive  analysis 
of  the  elements  and  j^urposes  of  literary  education  ;  without 
any  appeal  to  the  usual  formula  and  categories  of  precise 
and  labored  disquisition.  Our  principal  concern  is  with  the 
philosophy  of  facts  and  experience  ;  and  we  hope  to  render 
the  subject  intelligible,  and  commend  the  view  we  take  of 
it  to  your  approval,  by  the  demonstrativeness  of  the  evidence 
by  which  we  propose  to  sustain  our  reasoning.  We  have 
long  since  received  it  as  a  maxim,  and  endeavored  to  profit 
by  the  suggestion,  that  in  regard  to  the  intellectual,  not  less 
than  the  physical  sciences,  he  who  would  aspire  to  paini, 
must  first  learn  how  to  draw.  And  in  the  same  proportion 
we  may  fail  to  illustrate  the  truth  of  this  maxim,  in  the 
lecture  we  propose,  we  shall  fall  beneath  the  dignity  of  our 
subject. 

If  it  be  true  that  the  vast  assemblage  of  beings,  and  ihinffg, 

/acts,  and  phenomena,  which  we  denominate  the  universe, 

323 


324  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LTTERATUKE. 

presented  to  our  notice  in  the  appropriate  distinction  of  two 
grand  systems, —  the  material  and  the  immaterial  —  the 
worlds  of  matter  and  mind, —  if  it  be  true,  we  say,  tliat 
this  mighty  structure  is  destined,  by  its  beneficent  Author, 
to  minister  to  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  its  intelligent 
tribes,  precisely  in  the  proportion,  that  the  respective  laws 
and  developments  of  both  these  divisions,  are  understood 
and  conformed  to,  —  and  if  it  be  further  true,  that  the 
position  suggested,  is  authenticated  by  the  disclosures  of 
natural  and  revealed  theology,  and  by  the  suffrage  of  phi- 
losophy, intellectual  and  moral,  not  less  than  by  the  gross 
result  of  mathematical  and  physical  science  —  if  all  this  be 
admitted,  then,  our  coming  together  on  the  present  occasion, 
and  for  the  purposes  implied,  will  be  at  once  intelligible  ; 
as  it  is  but  to  remind  ourselves,  vividly,  of  what  belono-s  to 
the  dignity  and  interests  of  our  common  nature. 

While,  therefore,  we  regard  our  present  meeting  as  some- 
what peculiar,  because  upon  classic  ground,  and  busied 
with  recollections  constituting  the  burden  of  classic  story, 
it  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  we  meet,  at  the  same  time, 
as  members  of  the  common  family  of  man,  and  that  the 
reflections  sugg^ested  by  the  interview,  relate  not  less, 
ultimately,  to  the  general  interests  of  humanity,  than  to  the 
special  purposes  and  "pursuits  of  lettered  attainment,  and 
cultivated  intellect. 

You  will,  therefore,  readily  appreciate  us,  when  we 
occasionally  wander,  in  the  remaiks  we  propose,  from  the 
retreats  and  avocations,  of  mere  abstract  learning;  —  the 
groves  of  the  academy,  and  the  recreations  of  the  lyceum, 
the  halls  of  instruction,  or  the  chambers  of  philosophy,  and 
find  ourselves  occupied  and  interested  amid  tiie  more  prac- 
tical interests  of  life  —  the  current  mass  of  thought  and 
feeling  —  the  hum  of  business,  and  the  labor  of  enterprise, 
the  noise  of  the  city,  and  the  bustle  of  the  forum. 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  325 

Tlie  course  of  instruciion  by  which  it  has  been  atlempled 
to  prepare  those  claiming  citizenship  in  tlie  commonwealth 
of  letters,  and  more  immediately  addressed  on  this  occasion, 
for  the  duties  and  destmies  awaiting  them,  and  which  is 
nearly  the  same  in  all  our  academic  foundaiions,  does  not, 
in  its  purposes  and  bearings,  invite  you  merely  to  converse 
with  the  mighty,  the  illustrious  dead,  and  drink  at  the  wells, 
and  fountains  of  antiquity,  but  you  are  also  called  upon  to 
turn  to  the  existing  drama  of  thought  and  emotion,  action 
and  purpose, —  to  look  about  you  in  the  world,  and  as 
opportunity  may  aflford,  and  occasion  present,  seek  to 
improve  yourselves,  and  promote  the  good  of  others,  by 
everywhere  and  in  every  way,  disturbing  the  repose  of 
ignorance  and  depravity  ;  and  by  mutual  excitement  to 
knowledge  and  virtue  !  Education  rightly  understood  and 
properly  applied,  proceeds  upon  the  maxim,  that  the  ^^a^i 
should  be  learned  for  the  good  of  the  present  and  the  glory 
of  the  future.  Meanwhile,  as  literary  students,  we  should 
constantly  enlarge  the  circle  of  inquiry,  with  the  progress 
of  history  ;  the  usual  curriculum  of  study,  with  the  growth 
of  learning ;  and  thus,  travel  in  the  company  and  suite  of 
the  learned  of  olden  time,  only  for  the  purpose  of  guiding 
mind,  molding  genius,  and  inspiring  emulation,  while  we 
constantly  meditate  a  bolder  flight,  and  a  higher  aim,  in 
the  career  of  improvement  and  usefulness  !  Hence,  when 
by  an  appeal  to  classic  lore,  we  imbibe  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  antiquity,  amid  the  ruin  and  desolation  of  the 
past,  it  is,  that  we  may  the  better  discriminate  and  select, 
in  relation  to  the  just  and  the  useful,  the  fit  and  the 
becoming,  within  the  precincts  of  every-day  life,  and  the 
livinor  scenes  of  interest  and  activity  with  which  we  are 
surrounded. 

If  in  the  course  of  liberal  study,  we  revive  and  remould 
the  classical  antique,  and  place  ourselves  in  contact  with 


326  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

the  multitude,  not  less  than  the  heroes  and  sages,  (say)  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  it  is,  that  we  may  draw  analogies  from 
the  jjasi,  in  view  of  i\\Q  present;  that  discerning  the  prin- 
ciple of  action,  we  may  extract  the  spirit  of  the  social  sum, 
and  by  carefully  detaching  and  throwing  into  shadow,  what 
is  worthless  and  vicious,  may  bring  out  in  high  relief,  such 
characteristic  traits  and  elements  only,  as  are  worthy  of 
approval  and  imitation.  We  turn  to  Greece  and  Rome,  it 
is  true,  at  an  early  stage  of  our  literary  pilgrimage,  but  we 
do  so,  not  so  much  to  find  what  is  Grecian  and  Roman  in 
either,  as  to  seize  and  appropriate  what  may  be  human,  and 
by  consequence,  of  universal  application  in  both.  It  is  not 
the  Greek  and  the  Roman,  as  such,  that  we  study,  —  the 
descendants  of  Agamemnon  and  Homer,  or  the  countrymen 
of  Caesar  and  Virgil,  but  man  and  mind,  amid  the  elements 
and  appliances  of  Greek  and  Roman  culture.  Without  such 
views  and  motives,  in  appealing  to  the  past,  we  become,  in 
all  the  multiformity  of  our  ancient  learning,  at  least  men 
fishers  in  the  waters  of  oblivion ;  because  unable  to  make 
any  use  of  what  we  learn.  —  We  gaze  on  a  star,  "  faintly 
seen  and  dimly  visible,"  in  the  night  of  ages,  without 
turning  to  the  sun  of  the  system,  the  movements  and 
harmonies  of  which  involve  our  own  interests  and  destiny, 
as  well  as  those  of  kindred  millions,  found  upon  the  same 
path  of  pursuit  and  adventure,  with  ourselves. 

Such  data,  however,  relating  to  the  nature  and  purposes 
—  the  philosophy  of  literary  education,  require  a  more 
extended  range  of  statement  and  illustration.  Intellectual 
distinction  and  moral  worth,  are  the  direct  legitimate  objects 
of  education,  (the  one  implying  the  possession  of  knowledge, 
and  the  other  the  proper  use  of  it,)  and  to  this  view  of  the 
subject  we  shall  mainly  confine  ourselves,  in  the  remarks 
we  have  to  offer,  on  the  present  occasion.  In  so  far  as 
education  becomes  effectively  contributory  to  these  high 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  327 

ends,  its  direct  importance  in  the  scale  of  human  interests 
and  relations,  will  be  disputed,  we  apprehend,  by  none  who 
have  been  led,  by  whatever  means  or  motives,  to  place  any 
allowable  estimate  upon  mind  and  morals. 

The  general  subject  on  which  we  address  you,  admits,  it 
occurs  to  us,  of  an  elementary  classification,  which  renders 
the  question  of  education,  in  its  presentment  to  the  most 
common  understanding,  an  accessible  and  tangible  concern ; 
at  once,  unambiguous  and  practical,  as  it  regards  both 
claim  and  detail.  Its  early  processes  teach  us,  slowly  it  is 
true,  but  still  certainly,  what  we  are.  Its  more  advanced 
rudiments  direct  attention  within  —  to  our  conscious  capacity 
for  action  and  achievement ;  while  its  higher  lessons  involve 
our  intellectual  and  moral  relations,  and  teach  us  alike  what 
we  ought  to  he  and  to  do.  It  is  certainly  a  wise  and  most 
felicitous  arrangement,  that  the  law  of  culture,  of  which  we 
speak,  is  brought  to  bear  upon  our  nature,  by  a  graduated 
process,  in  the  successive  stages  of  infancy,  childhood,  and 
youth.  During  these  periods,  the  mental  and  moral  powers 
and  sensitivities  of  our  nature,  are  peculiarly  susceptible. 
The  infant,  the  child-like,  and  the  youthful  mind,  as  a 
general  rule,  will  be  found  impressible,  docile,  and  deferent. 
Human  nature  is,  at  this  period  of  life,  (and  hence  the 
speciality  with  which  we  regard  it  as  the  era  of  education,) 
greatly  more  susceptible  than  at  any  other.  And  it  is  not 
more  true,  that  the  increasing  bodily  strength,  and  muscular 
activity,  together  with  the  manual  dexterity  of  this  age, 
afford  felt  and  bounding  delight,  than  that  the  evolution  of 
the  intellectual  functions  and  moral  sensibilities,  is  witnessed 
by  the  consciousness  of  the  juvenile  aspirant  with  emotions 
of  the  most  aflfectionate  gratification.  In  this  way,  capacity 
is  fostered  and  excited  into  vital  and  growing  activity. 
There  is  successively  a  hopeful  enlargement  of  anterior 
attainment,  and  a  happy  germination  of  all  the  kind  and 


328  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

beiiev'ulent  sympathies  of  liumanity,  in  the  regular  pro- 
gressive training,  so  necessary  to  the  moral  formaiion  which 
receives  the  denomination  of  character.  Such  being  the 
real  nature  and  relative  importance  of  education,  it  will  be 
perceived,  at  once,  that  it  is  a  problem,  the  working  or 
solution  of  which,  cannot,  in  any  instance,  be  achieved  in 
in  a  short  time,  or  at  small  cost:  and  hence,  the  needful 
appropriation  of  sufficient  time,  and  a  patient  appeal  to 
means,  methods,  and  proper  industry. 

General  literature  presents  a  field  of  vast  extent  and 
variety.  It  is  to  be  understood  as  inclusive  of  the  early 
history,  and  subsequent  progress, —  the  archaeology  of  the 
more  recent  and  present  conditions  of  letters  and  science, 
throughout  the  whole  range  of  civilization  and  social  polish. 
It  is  so  essentially  connected  with  all  intellectual  pursuits 
and  purposes,  as  to  be,  in  fact,  a  history  of  the  experiments 
and  discoveries,  the  opinions  and  inventions,  the  thoughts 
and  emotions  of  mankind.  It  embraces  not  only  language 
and  science,  with  their  laws  and  classifications,  broadly 
considered,  comprehending  classical,  mathematical,  philo- 
sophical, and  ethical  information,  in  all  the  various  subdi- 
visions of  each,  but  the  works  and  wonders  of  nature  and 
art,  infinitely  multiplied  and  extended,  so  as  to  include  all 
the  walks  and  business  of  active  life.  Thus  opening  the 
gates  of  miscellaneous  general  knowledge,  and  displaying 
the  fairest  varied  prospects  of  our  being,  it  intellectualizes 
man  and  life,  and  leads  to  a  plastic  expansion  of  the  whole 
mental  constitution.  All  the  various  pursuits  and  processes 
of  academic  and  kindred  instruction,  unite,  each  in  itself, 
and  all  by  the  way,  like  the  genial  drops  of  rain  in  their 
descent  from  heaven,  to  strengthen  and  enlarge  the  amount 
of  useful  knowledge,  afiecting  and  elevating  the  moral,  not 
less  than  the  intellectual  principle. 

Education  is  not  designed  simply,  or  exclusively,  to  make 


ELEMETJTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF   LITERATURE.  329 

US  acquainted  with  the  curious  and  instructive  events  and 
developments  of  pa?t  ages  ;    and  tlius  lead  us  to  collect 
wisdom  from  the  opinions,  conjectures,  and   conduct  of 
others,  but  it  is  intended  to  incline,  and  enable  the  mind  to 
think  and  reflect,  judge  and  determine  for  itself.     Its  legiti- 
mate business,  as  shown  by  an  analysis  of  its  elements  and 
uses,  is,  to  prepare  the  mind  to  assume  the  direction,  and 
control  the  tendency  and  issues  of  the  afl'airs  and  purposes 
of  life.    Hence,  the  world,  including  its  structure,  contents, 
and  fortunes,  embodied  in  our  literature,  and  especially  the 
world  of  man,   becomes   the   held  of  inquiry  —  the  vast 
seminary  in  wliich  we  learn ;  and  much,  every  way,  depends 
upon  ourselves,  as  well  as  the  masters  of  education,  charged 
with  the  business  of  instruction,  and  the  process  of  training. 
Tlie  solicitude  and  responsibility  incident  to  the  parties, 
during  the  whole  process,  should  be  divided  between  the 
master  and  pupil  ;  and  the  integrity  and  competency  of 
the  teacher,  should  be  eagerly  and  promptly  replied  to,  by 
the  industry  and  zeal  of  the  pupil  ;  while  it  is  ever  kept  in 
mind  by  both,  that  the  skill  of  instruction  and  the  facility 
of  learning,  reside,  as  we  conceive,  in  the  discernment  and 
application  of  a  few  simple  truths,  without  refeience  to  the 
hackneyed  trifles,  and  whip-and-spur  expedients,  entering 
so  essentially  into  the  plans  and  movements  of  the  mere 
pedagogue.     Well,   therefore,  to  begin  the  work,   on  the 
part  of  teacher  and  learner,  is  strictly  half  the  completion 
of  it  ;  and  upon  this  maxim,  the  business  of  instruction,  in 
every  department  and  institution,  should  rigidly  pro(-eed, 
from  the  commencement  to  the  close  of  academic  instruction. 
Education,  whether  resulting  from  imparted  instruction 
or  self  study,  has  never  failed  to  obtrude  itself  upon   the 
notice  of  mankind,  as  that  refinement  and  elevation  of  our 
nrture,  extending  to  mind  and  manners,  without  which, 
man  has  always  been,  to  a  great  extent,  a  savage,  and  his 
VOL.  II — 28. 


330  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF   LITERATURE. 

interests  and  passions,  more  or  less,  those  of  a  beast.  So 
viewed,  it  is  law  and  culture,  extending  to  the  mind  and 
heart;  the  needful  restraints  of  the  one,  and  the  salient 
redeeming  qualities  of  the  other.  And  these  have  always 
created,  contingently  at  least,  the  characteristic  difference 
between  man  and  man.  This  fact  alone  has  given  birth  to 
the  heroes  and  the  monsters  of  history.  It  was  this,  gave 
the  name  of  one  Caesar  to  posterity,  as  a  model  of  virtue 
and  magnanimity,  and  that  of  another,  as  a  reproach  and  a 
proverb  of  infamy  ! 

To  cultivate  the  mind,  however,  to  the  neglect  of  the 
heart,  —  to  give  vigor  and  expansion  to  thought,  and  leave 
conscience  to  struggle,  gives  to  a  mere  defect,  the  nature 
and  tendency  of  a  positive  evil.  It  is  putting  the  sword 
into  the  hands  of  the  maniac,  only  to  prepare  him  for  self- 
destruction  !  A  lawless  obsequiousness  to  the  most  dan- 
gerous, if  not  to  the  basest  passions,  will  but  too  often 
ensue,  ending  in  blighted  hope  and  bootless  folly  !  Hence, 
it  results  from  the  analysis  we  are  conducting,  that  in  all 
well  regulated  systems  and  institutions,  the  masters  of 
education  essay,  deeply  to  penetrate  and  imbue  the  mind 
and  heart,  with  the  love  of  truth  and  honor,  goodness  and 
virtue,  that  the  wants  —  the  claims  of  the  heart,  where  will 
always  be  found  the  more  important  elements  of  character, 
may  not  be  overlooked,  in  the  attempt  to  impart  polish,  and 
secure  proper  direction  to  intellect. 

It  should,  therefore,  ever  be  borne  in  mind,  by  all 
concerned,  that  the  advantages  of  lettered  culture  are 
relative  and  contingent ;  not  absolute  and  invariable.  The 
same  is  true,  however,  of  every  possible  boon,  earthly  or 
heavenly,  with  which  our  term  of  pupilage  on  earth  is 
distinguished.  All  the  gifts,  and  every  good,  of  either 
class,  will  be  found  fatally  liable  to  perversion  and  abuse. 
The  desire  of  knowledge  and  virtue    is  essential  to  the 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURrOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  331 

dignity  and  happiness  of  man,  and  when  this  is  wanting, 
tlie  excellence  implied,  is  fractional,  at  best.  Knowledge 
witliout  virtue,  (such  is  the  voice  of  all  history,)  is  a 
rudderless  bark,  drifting  on  passion's  sea;  and  but  too  often 
terminates  in  the  bliuht  and  ruin  of  all  that  mio-ht  otherwise 
be  rendered  available.  Connected  with  such  possible  abuse 
and  misappHcation,  permit  us  to  remark,  that  our  advan- 
tages are  peculiar  and  distinguished.  Modern  literature  is 
incomparably  preferable  to  the  ancient.  The  Greek,  the 
Roman,  the  Arabian,  and  the  Italian  literature,  as  a  general 
rule,  appealed  to  imagination  and  taste,  while  the  Northern 
or  Gothic  literature,  found  in  the  great  Teutonic  family,  and 
which  is  ours,  has  to  do  much  more  directly  and  effectively, 
with  the  judgment,  the  conscience,  and  the  affections,  con- 
sulting the  wants  of  the  heart  —  of  our  moral  nature,  with 
a  care  and  kindness  equal  to  that  with  which  it  provides 
for  the  gratification  of  intelligence ;  and  any  evils  now 
resulting  from  literary  attainment,  must  be  wanton,  and 
self-chosen,  on  the  part  of  the  sufferer. 

Knowledge,  then,  like  every  other  good  possessed  by  man, 
is  attended  with  danger  as  well  as  advantasfe,  brinars  care 
as  well  as  pleasure,  and  he  who  grasps  after  the  one,  must 
be  content  to  share  the  other.  In  the  common  distribution 
of  good  and  evil,  men  of  letters  furnish  no  exception  to  the 
general  rule.  Pleasure  and  pain,  with  them,  as  with  others, 
divide  the  empire  of  the  world,  and  co-jointly,  sit  upon  the 
same  throne.  Intellectual  pleasures  will  necessarily  abridge 
your  taste  and  your  leisure  for  those  of  merely  sensual 
origin.  There  is,  here,  the  expulsive  power  of  a  new 
affection,  and,  in  many  instances,  it  becomes  an  exclusive 
passion.  How  often  does  the  literary  student  find  himself 
compelled  to  listen  to  conversation,  and  engage  in  dialogue 
and  detail,  in  which  he  cannot  possibly  feel  the  least  interest, 
and  the  weakness,  prejudice,  and  vapidity  of  which,  too 


332  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

often  disgust,  even  without  amusing  bim  !  He  dies  in  tlie 
conversation  of  the  living  circle  about  him  ;  and  does  not 
revive  till  he  re-enters  the  society  of  the  distant  and  dead, 
and  finds  himself  again  entombed  in  his  librarv  ! 

Tliis  passion  for  speculative  seclusion,  however,  may  be 
carried  too  far,  —  to  a  criminal  extent.  There  will  always 
be  a  common  ground ;  and  there  are  common  topics,  on 
which  the  most  exalted  intellect  may  commune  with  the 
most  lowly,  and  with  a  feeling  of  the  most  perfect  equality. 
This  passion,  therefore,  for  a  lofty  seclusion,  must  not  be 
indulged,  to  the  neglect  of  duty  and  action.  If  so,  many 
of  the  most  valuable  faculties  and  energies,  as  well  as  hopes 
and  prospects  of  our  nature,  are  rendered  useless,  and  lost 
forever.  The  world  before  and  about  you,  including  the 
high  and  the  low  —  all  distinctions  of  human  condition,  is 
a  vast  battle-field  ;  and  endless  and  fearful  is  the  strife 
between  good  and  evil,  truth  and  error.  To  assume 
neutrality,  therefore,  and  act  upon  the  maxim  of  settled 
indifference  to  the  great  conflicting  elements  of  interest  and 
action,  would  be  to  proclaim,  at  once,  your  own  want 
of  virtue,  and  furnish  gratuitous  proof  of  unmixed  and 
universal  worthlessness. 

The  conclusions  to  which  analj'sis  conducts  us,  on  this 
subject,  are  numerous  and  important.  The  evils  and 
dangers  of  misdirected  intellect,  cannot  but  strike  you  with 
great  force.  Assume  the  absence  of  intellectual  culture, 
and  the  guidance  of  science,  the  restraining  influence  of 
various  useful  knowledge,  and  tlien  look  at  the  mighty 
ocean  of  human  thought  and  feeling,  heaving  and  weltering 
round  the  world,  its  movements  and  refluxes  without  order, 
and  equally  without  limit  or  restriction  !  Who  can  calculate 
tiie  infinite  value  of  mental  accomplishment,  and  its  atten- 
dant results,  in  view  of  this  single  reflection  !  Such 
guidance  and  restraint  have  been  important  to  the  human 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  333 

mind,  in  all  time,  and  in  reference  to  all  men,  and  including 
the  entire  range  of  humanity,  and  all  the  tribes  of  our  kind. 
We  ask  respectfully,  and  with  the  urgency  becoming  the 
subject  and  the  occasion,  was  it  ever  more  necessaiy  than 
at  present  ?  It  would  seem  to  be  characteristic  of  modern 
times  and  modern  improvement,  to  a  fearful  extent  at  least, 
that  precisely  in  the  proportion,  that  yrhat  passes  for  know- 
ledge, is  trifling  and  unimportant,  it  is  sought  after  and 
eagerly  acquired. 

In  confirmation  of  this,  we  might  cite  you  to  the  compara- 
tive worthlessness  and  inutility,  the  licentiousness  and  vicious 
tendency,  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  periodic  press,  and  cur- 
rent literature  of  the  times, — the  faction  and  flutter  of  the  one, 
— the  froth  and  sparkle  of  the  other, — distinguished  alike  by 
a  kind  of  floundering  vigor,  and  showy  rapidity.  To  say 
nothing  of  the  more  favorite  monstrosities  of  the  latter,  in  a 
particular  department — we  mean,  the  more  than  forty  horse- 
power of  modern  novel  writing,  with  its  millions  of  ea^v^r  or 
indolent  victims,  wandering  or  lounging  amid  fairy  fields, 
in  search  of  the  golden  fruits  and  fountains  of  fable  !  The 
passions  busily  constructing  their  palaces  and  temples,  and 
enthroning  their  idols  and  divinities  upon  the  ruins  of 
r'^ason,  virtue,  and  common  sense.  —  A  constant  feverish 
appetence  for  the  unreal  and  the  visionary  —  a  sickly 
propensity  to  distort  —  to  perfume  the  violet,  and  rouge 
the  rose  !  And  what  is  most  remarkable,  and  singularly 
distinctive  of  the  idiosyncracy  of  modern  fiction-mongers, 
is,  the  intellectual  character,  —  I  had  almost  said,  unmiel- 
lectual  frailty  of  those  the  most  morbidly  susceptible  of  the 
fascination  1  That  even  cultivated  taste,  and  the  sturdy 
manhood  of  intellect,  should  occasionally  unbend,  and  seek 
recreation  and  amusement,  in  the  ideal  creations  to  which 
we  allude,  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  nor  perhaps  regretted. 
But  who  can  account  for  the  fact,  unless  w«  reckon  it  into 


334  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

the  penalty  of  all  vice,  and  the  law  of  all  disease,  that  the 
appetite  for  this  kind  of  reading,  constituting  a  large  share 
of  the  annual  literary  crop  of  the  times,  is  always  most 
avid  and  voracious,  in  those  who  have  the  least  power  of 
digestion.  Solve  us  this  problem,  and  then,  it  will  be  time 
to  propound  others  of  a  graver  character;  —  and  especially, 
that  it  be  shown  why  it  is,  that  so  many,  apparently  virtuous 
and  well-disposed,  with  a  kind  of  officious  zest,  seek  in  this 
way,  to  become  familiar  with  the  halls  and  haunts  of  fiction, 
even  when  painted  and  frescoed  with  scenes  of  passion  and 
pollution,  in  their  last  excess  ! 

Knowledge,  then,  viewed  in  the  aspects  to  which  we 
have  directed  attention,  is  not  unlike  all  good  enjoyed  by 
man,  on  this  side  the  grave  ;  that  is,  liable  to  be  blended 
with  some  mixture  of  evil.  What  blessing  is  there,  of 
which  it  may  be  affirmed,  that  we  are  not  called  upon,  in 
this  way,  to  discount  its  value  ?  What  elements  of  the 
physical  world  even,  may  not  prove  destructive  of  life  and 
enjoyment  ?  Look,  for  example,  at  the  mysterious  principle 
of  electricity,  now  conducting  you  to  the  pole,  and  sub- 
serving a  thousand  useful  purposes,  and  anon  giving  birth 
to  the  thunder  and  the  bolt  of  heaven  !  Instance  fire  and 
water,  without  which  we  cannot  live,  and  yet  depriving 
millions  of  life  !  Who  cannot  name  that  mysterious  river, 
enfolding  in  its  bosom  the  hated  crocodile,  as  a  mere 
specimen  of  its  slimy,  noxious  brood,  while  the  same  wave 
contains  those  enriching  seeds  and  deposits,  destined  to 
fertilize  the  soil  of  its  banks,  its  islands  and  its  deltas  ! 

Continuing  our  appeal  to  analysis,  we  learn  further,  that 
literary,  beyond  any  other  kind  of  wealth,  possesses  a  repro- 
ductive immortality  ;  and  in  view  of  this  single  fact,  how 
infinite  is  the  enhancement  of  its  value  !  For  example, 
language  never  dies,  and  the  perpetuity  and  multiplication 
of  thought,  in  the  shape  of  philosophy,  science,  poetry, 


BLEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE,  335 

religion  and  the  arts,  are  not  only  coincident  possibilities,  but 
necessarily  adjunctive  conceptions,  and  resulting  develop- 
ments. Where  now  are  the  temples  and  palaces,  the 
catacombs  and  monuments  of  antiquity  !  And  of  those 
that  do  remain,  how  many  are  the  chances  and  changes 
threatening  their  destruction  !  An  earthquake  might  give 
the  pyramids  of  the  Nile,  or  the  grandeur  of  Rome  to 
oblivion  !  The  mere  sacking  of  a  city,  might  annihilate 
the  Apollo  Belvidere,  or  the  Venus  de  Medici ;  but  how 
many  of  earth's  proudest  dynasties,  have  not  thought  and 
language  survived,  by  thousands  of  years  !  What  revolu- 
tions of  time,  and  events  of  various  mundane  interest,  have 
not  occurred  since  the  first  man  and  woman  were  expelled 
the  Eden  of  their  innocence  !  —  and  yet  the  record  Hves  ! 
Homer  is  no  more  !  —  Of  his  history  we  know  but  little, 
of  his  ashes  nothing,  and  yet,  by  means  of  language,  (of 
letters)  he  has  indissolubly  bound  the  world  to  the  throne 
of  his  genius,  throughout  all  generations.  Accident  threw 
Demosthenes  upon  the  notice  of  the  world,  in  the  city  of 
Minerva  ;  as  interest  or  emergency  required,  for  a  few 
successive  years,  he  threw  the  thunder  of  his  unequaled 
eloquence  upon  the  startled  ear  of  Greece,  and  then  dis- 
appeared, with  the  generation  to  which  he  belonged  ;  but, 
by  means  of  letters,  Demosthenes  shall  continue  the  model 
of  the  senate  and  the  bar,  until  the  world  shall  have  no  use 
for  either  !  Come  down  to  modern  times  —  take  an  instance 
within  the  knowledge  and  memory,  it  may  be,  of  those  I 
address.  —  Look  at  that  peasant  boy,  with  nothing  but  bare 
existence,  and  perhaps  a  name ;  see  him  covered  with  rags, 
and  contending  with  want ;  doomed  to  the  drudgery  of 
premature  toil,  in  field  and  forest !  Look  at  him  again,  the 
schoolmaster  has  been  abroad  ;  by  chance  or  Providence, 
he  is  brought  in  contact  with  mind  and  instruction ;  the 
native  energies  and  elements  of  intellect  and  emotion  begin 


'^■' 


336  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

to  stir;  gradually  he  is  brought  in  contact  with  other  means 
ami  excitants  ;  he  loves  learning,  and  begins  the  business 
of  self-education;  he  has  genius,  ambition,  and  application; 
he  lakes  the  path  to  distinction  and  usefulness,  and  from 
this  moment,  his  star  rises  steadily  and  proudly,  as  if  by 
irresistible  influence,  until  the  fortunes  of  his  fellows,  and 
the  destinies  of  his  contemporaries,  are  thrown  into  the 
shade  !  Extraordinary  indeed,  are  the  changes  and  trans- 
mutations effected  by  the  mysterious  alchemy  of  mind,  and 
especially  genius,  when  armed  with  the  power  and  appliance 
of  letters  1  And  who  does  not  know,  that  the  homage  thus 
claimed  for  letters,  is  accredited  by  the  philosophy  of 
common  experience  !  Take  the  whole  range  of  literary 
history,  and  along  the  entire  line,  and  at  either  extremity, 
you  will  find  the  proof! 

But  let  us  vary  this  analysis.  The  love  of  truth,  as  a 
revelation,  a  copy  of  nature,  the  actual,  essentia]  philosophy 
of  things,  is  necessary  to  the  distinction,  —  the  lettered 
eminence,  of  which  we  speak.  If  we  would  ever  be 
distinguished  or  eminent,  except  in  view  of  partial  or  frac- 
tional merit,  we  must  become  the  students  of  nature  ;  and 
as  far  as  may  be,  imbibe  her  lessons  from  her  own  lips. 
And  with  every  such  student,  truth  should  be  the  star  of 
the  ascendant,  in  his  horoscope,  —  the  loadstone  of  his 
genius,  the  master-passion  of  his  life  !  Analyticallj^  ex- 
amined, all  learning,  in  strictness,  is  a  knowledge  of  naiure; 
and  every  departure  from  nature,  is,  so  far,  an  exiiibilion 
of  ignorance.  Philosophy,  so  called,  especially  in  ilit 
department  of  physical  inquiry,  has  most  unnaturally,  and 
irrationally,  betrayed  a  prurient  propensity  to  assume,  tiiat 
nothing  is  knowable,  unless  it  be  visible  and  tangible.  It 
is  but  recently  that  the  insane  eflbrt  was  made,  in  otie  of 
the  most  polished  nations  of  Europe,  to  establisi)  a  sysiem 
of  national  education,   upon   the  basis  of  this  beggarly, 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 


337 


Atheistic  maxim.  And  this,  although  physical  science 
itself,  presents  matter  to  our  contemplation,  in  a  state  of 
such  extreme  tenuity,  as  not  only  to  preclude  vision,  but 
Sensorial  excitation  of  every  kind.  Even  the  philosopher, 
as  he  sits  in  his  armed  chair,  (elaborating  this  very  hypothe- 
sis, receives  a  })ressure  of  the  atmosphere  upon  his  body, 
at  the  weight  of  full  fifteen  pounds  to  every  square  inch, 
without  being  able  to  see  it,  or  even  opposing  to  it,  anything 
like  felt  muscular  resistance.  This  school  of  philosophy  is 
unceasingly  asking  our  attention  to  the  laws  of  nature,  and 
resulting  causation  and  phenomena,  but  they  would  have 
us  examine  and  investigate  long,  without  any  original  intel- 
ligence, for  their  preconception  and  establishment.  Mind- 
less and  Godless  chaos,  or  matter,  upon  this  hypothesis, 
constructs  the  mechanism  of  all  the  cerebral  functions,  and 
arranges  the  entire  apparatus  of  thought !  Unthinking 
bodies  of  matter,  fix  and  apply  to  themselves  the  laws  of 
geometry  and  calculation  !  The  inimitable  lenses  of  the 
eye,  are  constructed  by  an  unintelligent  mass,  and  their 
refractive  powers  suitably  adjusted  with  reference  to  the 
laws  of  liglit,  the  reflection  of  rays,  and  the  properties  of 
bodies,  and  all,  without  any  knowledge  of  either  1  That 
which  formed  the  eye  and  ear,  could  neither  see  nor  hear  ! 
No  stupid  Pagan,  amid  the  dark  idolatries  of  the  East,  was 
ever  better  prepared  to  make  his  own  gods,  as  he  may  tldnJc 
himself  in  need  of  them,  than  is  the  philosopher  who 
entertains  such  opinions  as  these  ! 

Physical  science  has  given  birth  to  two  distinct  classes 
of  laborers.  Those  who  by  the  process  and  efforts  of 
induction,  ofier  indisputable  claim  to  the  character  of 
original  discoverers,  and  those  again,  who  availing  them- 
selves of  these  discoveries,  as  admitted  truths  and  first 
principles,  have  proceeded  to  deduce  from  them,  as  axioms, 
important  inferences  and  conclusions.  Thus  forming,  not 
VOL.  11—29. 


338  ELKMKNTS    AND    PTTRPOSES    OF    LITERATURK. 

nominally,  bul  virtually,  two  separate  schools  or  classes  of 
inquirers,  especially  difi'erent  in  their  modes  and  habits  of 
investigation.  And  it  is  a  very  remarkable  fact,  that  nearly, 
if  not  absolutely  all  the  religious  skepticism,  found  among 
natural  philosophers,  has  been  confined  to  the  latter  class, 
or  the  deductive  school ;  while  scarcely  a  vestig-e  is  to  be 
met  with  in  the  former.  The  great  discoverers  of  the  laws 
of  nature,  —  such  as  Copernicus,  Galileo,  Kepler,  Paschal, 
Boyle,  Newton,  and  others,  have  arrived  at  very  diflferent 
conclusions  from  those  implied  by  skepticism  here.  These 
men,  as  they  enlarged  the  limits  of  human  knowledge,  by 
an  inductive  ascent  to  the  primary  laws  of  force  and  motion, 
in  the  mechanism  of  the  universe,  inferred  Supreme  Intel- 
ligence, as  essential  to  the  origin  and  contrivance,  connected 
with  the  results  discovered.  It  can  hardly  be  necessary  to 
suggest,  that  the  methods  of  study  and  investigation,  with 
inductive  inquirers,  tend  more  directly  to  lead  the  mind  to 
an  irresistible  persuasion  of  the  truths  of  natural  religion, 
than  those  directing  the  researches  of  the  other  class.  The 
latter  borrow  their  first  principles  from  the  former,  and 
resting  in  them,  having  taken  them  for  granted,  proceed  to 
their  deductions,  in  the  application  of  these  first  principles. 
You  look  in  vain,  therefore,  for  the  skepticism  of  physical 
science,  among  the  great  discoverers  in  this  department  of 
thought  and  labor ;  and  with  scarcely  an  exception,  you 
will  find  it  among  those  philosophers,  who  by  a  deductive 
process,  descend  from  the  height,  or  diverge  from  the 
point,  at  which  Kepler  and  Newton  descried  an  Almighty 
Creator,  as  the  first  cause  of  all  things.  The  moment, 
therefore,  you  listen  to  the  suggestions  of  skepticism,  as 
the  offering  of  natural  science,  you  quit  the  company,  and 
abjure  the  fellowship  of  the  illustrious  names,  and  lofty 
minds  just  instanced,  —  those  immortal  travelers  of  the 
WveuB,  aud  chaioists  of  aature,—  and  ar«  found  lifitamQ^;', 


4 


BLKMKNTS   AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  339 

it  may  be,  with  charmed  docility,  to  the  cuckoo-notes  of 
the  mere  parrots  and  mocking  birds  of  the  academic  grove, 
and  philosophical  laboratory  ! 

la  the  last  case,  we  see  everything,  not  only  originating 
from,  but  produced  by  nothing ;  and  a  blind  mechanism, — 
mechanism  too,  without  intelligence  or  contrivance,  giving 
birlh  to  the-n'egularity  and  harmony  of  nature  !  A  senseless 
Atheism  usurps  the  place  of  God,  and  itself  the  child  of 
chance,  reigns  lord  of  the  ascendant !  In  the  former,  the 
universal  presence  of  the  Ood  and  Author  of  all,  becomes 
the  necessary  condition  of  every  course  of  events,  and  his 
universal  agency,  the  only  origin  of  every  efficient  force  ! 
Upon  this  latter  hypothesis,  all  is  consistent  and  rational., 
On  the  former,  we  are  compelled  to  ascribe  self-motivity 
and  determination,  to  every  law  and  cause  in  nature  !  This 
may  be  done,  without  reflection  or  inquiry  —  without  proper 
attention  to  the  meaning  and  application  of  terms,  as  in  the 
instance  of  Laplace,  who  seems  to  have  regarded  all  nature, 
merely  as  a  black-board,  on  which  he  would  admirably 
illustrate  the  higher  principles  of  algebra,  and  the  differ- 
ential calculus  !  But  the  man  who  deliberately  adopts  the 
theory,  and  attempts  its  proof  and  support,  upon  the  basis 
of  evidence,  allowable  in  the  case,  outlaws  himself,  at  once, 
from  the  fale  of  science!  and  the  sympathies  of  good  sense 
and  correct  feeling  will  suggest,  that  the  sooner  he  is 
consigned  to  the  charge  of  medical  jurisprudence,  the  better, 
for  reasoning  in  the  same^way  upon  other  subjects,  he  will 
soon  need  the  regimen  of  a  hospital !  Meanwhile,  it  is 
characteristic  of  real  science,  that  whenever  she  rears  a 
monument  to  herself,  she  erects  an  altar  to  the  universal 
God ;  and  all  science,  not  thus  terminating,  is  both  defective 
and  profane  ! 

The  discovery  of  truth,  will  always  be  considered  the 
achidvemdnt  oLgood,  upon  a  graud  scale.    The  first  s«iitencd 


m 


340  ELEMENTS    AND    PTTRPOSES    OF   LITERATURE. 

of  the  celebrated  treatise  of  Malebranche  on  "Truth,"  — 
"Error  is  the  universal  cause  of  the  misery  of  mankind," 
contains  more  real  good  sense  and  sound  philosopliy,  than 
are  to  be  found  in  many  of  our  modern  libraries.  The 
welfare  of  millions  is  deeply  implicated,  in  a  thousand  ways, 
in  the  detection  and  rectification  of  error,  and  the  discovery 
and  diffusion  of  truth.  Thought  cannot  be  too  free,  provided 
it  hQJust.  It  is  a  safe  rule,  in  the  formation  and  inculcation 
of  opinions,  not  to  adopt  or  publish  any,  unless  we  can,  in 
some  way,  trace  their  connection  with  first,  self-evident  prin- 
ciples. And  without  such  inductive  analysis,  as  it  regards 
the  philosophy  of  causes  and  consequences,  there  is,  there 
can  be  no  discovery.  Democritus  declared,  he  would  prefer 
the  discovery  of  the  cause  of  one  of  nature's  phenomena, 
to  the  diadem  of  Persia  !  Lord  Bolingbroke  justly  remarks, 
that  nature  and  truth  are  the  same  everywhere,  and  reason 
shows  them  everywhere  alike.  The  inductive  philosopher 
or  discoverer,  does  not  dig  for  treasure  impossible  to  be 
found.  The  vast  storehouse  of  nature,  with  its  facts  and 
laws,  is  before  him,  tangible  and  accessible  ;  and  what  is 
it,  mind,  method,  and  perseverance  may  not  accomplish  ? 
His  life  may  be  a  series  of  toil  and  self-sacrifice,  without 
immediate  benefit  to  himself ;  but  he  is  contributing,  at  the 
same  time,  to  enrich  mankind  ;  and  he  shall  live  in  posterity, 
as  in  the  midst  of  his  children  ! 

Every  acceleration,  even  of  the  progress  of  discovery,  is 
orifinality  of  invention,  and  should  be  estimated  accord- 
ini>-ly.  How  forcibly  is  this  view  of  the  subject  illustrated, 
in  the  works  of  Roger  Bacon  !  Six  hundred  years  ago,  he 
presented  this  oracular  sentence,  "  A  substance  may  be 
prepared,  wliich  even  in  very  small  quantilies,  will  produce 
a  violent  report  in  the  air,  kindle,  like  a  train  of  fire,  and 
destroy  whole  castles  and  armies  ! "  And  bear  in  mind, 
that  it  was  one  hundred  years  after  this,  before  the  invention 


:^^ 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE,  341 

of  gunpowder,  tlie  elements  of  which,  were  in  his  eye  ! 
Ages  before  the  telescope  or  microscope,  or  even  common 
optical  glasses  were  heard  of,  he  had  said,  prophetically,  in 
the  same  work,  "  We  may  cut  glasses,  or  a  kind  of  mirror, 
some  of  which  will  be  able  to  enlarge  objects,  or  bring  them 
nearer,  and  others  to  diminish,  or  remove  them  further  /  " 
Look  now  at  our  optical  instruments,  and  marvel  at  the 
prediction  !  "  It  is  possible,"  says  another  of  his  prophetic 
conceptions,  "  to  discover  a  mode  of  moving  in  the  air,  of 
descending,  and  walking  about,  on  the  bottom  of  rivers  and 
the  ocean!"  And  ages  afterward,  the  balloon  and  the 
diving-bell  told  his  meaning  !  In  like  manner,  he  predicted, 
early  in  the  thirteenth  century,  many  of  the  most  important 
results  of  physical  science ;  and  among  other  things,  detected, 
that  power  in  nature,  resulting  from  the  marriage  of  fire 
and  water,  destined,  more  than  five  hundred  years  after,  to 
give  birth  to  all  the  wonders  of  the  steam  engine  !  Such 
were  the  lightning  glances  of  discovery,  thrown  into  the 
distant  future,  by  Roger  Bacon,  the  great  Archimedes  of  the 
modern  scientific  world  ! 

On  the  triumph  of  literature,  and  the  miracles  of  science, 
we  cannot  be  expected  to  enlarge  here,  although  in  immt  to 
do  so.  Which  way  you  turn  your  eye,  you  see  the  rising 
summits,  and  elevated  tracts  of  the  moral  world,  brilliant 
in  the  lustre  of  advancing  knowledge,  and  shedding  upon 
the  surrounding  gloom  and  mists,  the  promise  of  still 
greater  change  !  We  cannot  be  minute,  nor  will  it  be 
expected  that  we  trace  the  progress  of  discovery.  Man 
has  found  himself  possessed  of  powers,  by  which  lie  cannot 
only  appreciate  the  splendor  and  magnificence  of  nature's 
works,  in  all  their  magnitude  and  diversity,  but  also  trace, 
with  precision,  the  operation  of  her  laws.  The  globe,  on 
which  he  stands,  serves  him  as  a  base,  by  which  to  measure 
the  distance  and  dimensions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  ;  and 


^pr 


342  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE, 

the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit,  becomes  the  first  step  in 
the  scale  by  wliich  he  ascends  to  an  acquaintance  with  the 
sun  and  planets,  and  the  millions  of  worlds,  with  which 
ours  is  affined,  as  science  wheels  him  in  triumph  through 
the  signs  of  heaven  !  Look  too,  at  intellectual  science, 
tracing-  the  liglitning  of  mind  home  to  its  cloud,  —  not  the 
cerebral  organization,  the  temporary  sensorium  of  intellect, 
but  the  rendent  divinitivity,_/?//jny  and  wielding  it,  as  the 
temple  of  its  presence,  and  the  organic  means  of  action  and 
display  ;  and  thus  shaming  the  driveling  philosophy,  that 
would  make  man  a  mere  creature  of  organic  necessity  ! 
And  kindred  power  and  achievements  are  true  of  every 
other  division  of  science. 

Even  political  economy,  as  a  science,  is  a  mighty  lever, 
which  so  far  as  economics  are  concerned,  is  literally  raisino- 
the  world  !  How  few  estimate  the  agency  of  letters,  in 
creating  the  power  and  majesty  of  thought ;  leading  to  the 
admiration  of  what  is  great,  and  the  conquest  of  what  is 
difficult  !  Also,  in  the  regulation  and  control  of  principle 
and  motive  ;  and  as  a  mighty  element  in  the  composition 
of  every  form  of  civilized  society,  in  the  construction  of 
every  model  of  good  government,  and  in  giving  grandeur 
and  duration  to  the  proudest  of  earth's  dynasties,  even 
where  so  many  causes  have  existed  to  travail  them  with 
decay,  or  hasten  their  dissolution  !  And  although  the  one 
and  the  other  have  occurred  a  thousand  times,  from  the 
operation  of  other  causes,  the  monuments  of  literature  are 
still  seen  blending  the  achievements  of  ages,  are  destined  to 
become  co-extensive  with  the  race  of  man,  and  permanent 
as  the  existence  of  society  ! 

The  culture  we  recommend  will  steadily  exert,  even  an 
unperceived  influence,  it  may  be,  as  secret,  but  still  as 
certain  as  any  of  the  invisible  operations  of  nature,  not 
unlike  the  mother  of  months,  holding  the  eternal  flood  of 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES   OF   LITERATURE.  S4o 

ocean  in  her  chains  !  It  may  be  silent  and  imperceptible, 
as  the  dews  of  wine,  shed  on  the  banquet  hour,  but  how 
much  more  salutary  and  redeeming  !  Indeed,  the  benefits 
resulting  will  be  immediate  and  immense.  For  example, 
in  the  case  of  the  educated,  whether  by  school  process  or 
self-culture  is  not  material,  the  resvdt  is  almost  invariable 
—  that^rsi  truths  are  learned  first ;  while  in  the  instance 
of  the  uneducated,  the  rule  is  quite  universal,  —  that  fir&t 
truths  are  learned  last ;  and  of  course,  when  it  is  too  lato 
lo  apply  them,  to  the  extent,  at  least,  of  their  applicability 
to  useful  purposes.  How  often  has  it  happened,  that  even 
the  welfare  of  empire  has  been  shipwrecked  without  any 
agency,  beyond  that  of  the  miscalculation  of  ignorance,  and 
the  consequent  rashness  or  irresolution  of  counsel  and  move- 
ment, on  the  part  of  government !  The  influence  of  which 
we  speak,  we  may  find  it  diflicult  to  trace,  but  impossible 
to  deny.  In  its  issues,  direct  and  indeterminate,  it  is  seen 
and  felt,  comprehending  much  the  larger  share  of  all  that 
has  glowed  from  heart  or  mind  in  ages  gone,  and  like  the 
"witchery  of  a  breeze  upon  the  cords  of  the  eolian  lyre,  ife 
yields  charm  and  delight,  even  when  not  invoked  ! 

Connected  with  this  influence,  involving  moral  impression, 
as  well  as  intellectual  bias  and  direction,  allow  us  further  to 
commend  to  your  approval,  a  love  of  nature,  as  a  part  of  the 
great  text-book  —  the  vetus  Testamenium  oi  o\xm  literature, 
the  window  being  found  in  ourselves  and  God,  and  the  rela- 
tions, coindicated  by  the  nature  and  character  of  the  one 
and  the  other.  We  mean,  a  felt  and  stirring  admiration  of 
her  works,  a  sensitive  devotion  to  her  charms  —  such  a  love 
of  nature  as  will  shed  a  silent  and  mystic  influence  over  the 
whole  of  your  moral  and  intellectual  being  !  Who  can  look, 
with  philosophic  eye,  at  the  mystic  arch  of  heaven,  mag- 
nificently hung,  in  the  language  of  poetry,  with  midnight 
worlds,  and  see  these  balanced  worlds,  performing  their 


^ 


r 


344  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

silent,  but  steady  revolutions,  without  kindling  at  the  scene  ! 
Who  can  look  on  the  unmeasured  gTandeur  of  ocean,  whether 
belting  the  earth  with  might  and  majesty,  or  leaping  into 
life  and  motion,  as  creation  cowers  to  the  storm,  witli  death 
in  every  blast,  and  ruin  on  every  wave  —  who,  we  ask,  can 
gaze  on  such  a  spectacle,  without  a  trembling  sense  of  de- 
pendance  on  Almighty  Power  !  Or  turn  to  the  breathing 
landscape, — mark  its  speaking  solitude, — look  at  the  heavens 
shedding  their  gorgeous  superflux  of  liglit  iipon  its  vernal 
diadem,  and  ask,  what  heart  can  witness  this,  vfiih  unbetiered 
feelings  !  He  who  loves  nature  with  an  earnest  and  a  learned 
spirit,  will  tind,  as  some  one  sings,  "  glory  in  the  grass,  and 
splendor  in  tlie  flower."  He  carries  about  him  a  grateful 
sense  of  existence  ;  a  relished  luxury  of  enjoyment  —  even 
being  is  blessing  !  The  mind  reposes  and  luxuriates,  in 
passive  triumph,  in  the  full  and  calm  collecledness  of  thought 
and  emotion  !  Unuttered  and  unutterable  passions  and 
memories,  are  buried  deep  in  the  soul !  The  music  of 
humanity,  whether  gay  or  sad,  finds  its  counterpart  in 
nature,  and  ])er  everv  voice  is  an  echo  of  tlie  heart;  an 
invisible  electric  sympathy  is  found  between  tlie  one  and  the 
other.  This  unworn  ardor  in  your  companionship  with 
nature,  will  always  make  gay  the  counttMiance  of  earth, 
whether  in  sunshine  or  in  storm,  in  sickness  or  in  health  ; 
and  nature,  in  all  her  provinces,  will  thus  subserve  an  invisi- 
ble vocation,  in  tiie  promotion  of  your  happiness.  Even 
sensation  teaches  you  the  grandeur  and  the  goodness  of 
Deity  ;  and  the  result  is,  a  universal  and  continuing  con- 
viction of  the  ever-palpable,  but  unobtrusive  truth  of  h>s 
presence  and  efficiency,  difi'used  and  active,  for  benevolent 
purposes,  throughout  the  immense  multiform  wliule  !  Be- 
hold a  well  ordered  mind  amid  such  a  scene  !  Grandeur 
and  majesty  aisled  above  and  pillared  about,  and  the  glory 
of   the    Creator   everywhere    spread    out,    in    beauty  and 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  «^^*^ 

enchantment,  over  the  face  of  nature  !  He  who  sees  this, 
rmisi  learn  the  language  and  imbibe  the  hopes  of  another 
—  a  brighter  world,  or  prove  himself  unfit  for  this/ 

Let  your  love  of  nature  and  truth  be  deep  and  solid.  It 
should  incdude  tlie  uses,  as  well  as  the  nature  of  things. 
There  is,  we  know,  a  cheap  and  plebeian  philosophy,  and  it 
has  its  uses,  is  not  unproductive  of  good,  but  it  is  not  this, 
to  which  we  now  ask  your  attention.  Only  thus  learned, 
you  will  meet  with  much,  both  in  general  literature  and 
science,  that  will  severely  tax  your  bcdieving,  and  greatly 
exceed  your  comprehending  powers;  and  all  the  manifested 
advantages,  the  intellectual  amiabilities,  and  moral  sympa- 
thies, resulting  from  the  one  and  the  other,  will  perhaps, 
be  laid  aside  for  you  to  wonder  at  the  marvelous  and 
incredible, —  for  example,  how  it  is  possible,  that  six  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  millions  of  millions  of  undulations  of 
li<'ht,  in  a  sin^'le  second,  are  necessary  to  enable  the  eve  to 
detect  the  simple  color  of  violet ;  how  a  single  simple  bushel 
of  coals  can  be  made  to  raise  or  lift  ninety-seven  millions 
pounds  weight;  or  how  the  strangely,  yet  admirably  gravi- 
tating and  geometrized  system  of  earth,  can  be  upheld  by 
the  mere  agency  of  invisible,  intangible  forces  !  You  should 
early  remind  yourselves,  that  there  may  be  a  life  of  musing, 
without  thinking,  or  talking  without  meaning,  of  signs 
without  significance.  It  is  very  possible  to  possess  a  "kind 
of  wordy  wealth,  connected  with  literature,  and  dole  it  out, 
as  thousands  do,  in  weak  abundance,  only  to  prove  a  want 
of  mind,  and  lack  of  thought,  by  decking  lean  nothings, 
with  the  pomp  of  show  and  noise  !  Putting  far  from  you, 
at  once  and  forever,  all  such  shallow  pretension,  let  your 
research,  however  slowly  you  may  proceed,  sink  deep  among 
things  and  their  causes.  The  mind  should  be  its  own  place, 
feeding  upon  its  own  correct  and  unutterable  thoughts;  and 
never  dependent  upon  extrinsic  causes  and  contingencies, 


•A*.* 


346  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

for  enjoyment  and  interest.  Wiih  the  compass  and  vigor, 
the  energy  and  manhood  of  thought  we  are  commending, 
its  strength  will  always  be  present  and  available;  and  even 
when  suddenl}^  taxed  and  called  into  action,  as  it  is  always 
liable  to  be,  and  thrown  back  upon  its  own  resources,  by 
unexpected  and  emergent  duties  and  interests,  its  action 
will  resemble  that  of  ocean,  vexed  by  the  tempest,  and 
yet  heaving  and  tossing,  in  all  the  pride  of  unquestioned 
ma.stery  !  The  mind  thus  chastened,  disciplined,  and 
furnished,  becomes  a  lofty  star,  beyond  the  attraction  of 
the  world,  and  when  all  about  is  darkened  by  the  shadow 
of  change,  one  star  at  least,  continues  to  twinkle  in  the 
gloom,  and  shed  its  steady  and  unaltered  light  upon  the 
path  of  humanity  1 

The  usee  and  purposes  of  literature  are  thus  found  to 
connect  themselves  with  its  more  abstract  elements  and 
functions,  and  analysis  can  scarcely  point  out  the  latter, 
without  asking  your  attention  to  the  former.  A  few  addi- 
tional remarks,  however,  on  this  part  of  our  subject  seem 
to  be  called  for  before  we  close.  The  love  of  truth  and 
NATURE,  to  which  wc  have  called  your  attention,  with  at 
least  earnestness  of  appeal,  will  lead  you,  as  scholars,  to 
take  a  decided  stand  against  whatever  is  false  and  vicious, 
with  regard  to  either.  It  is  in  view  of  this,  that  education 
has  furnished  you  with  a  telescope  for  truth,  and  a  micro- 
scope for  error ;  and  you  are  not  likely  to  occupy  any 
position  in  society,  which  will  not  require  the  use  of  the 
one  and  the  other.  Possessing  superior  advantages,  it 
becomes  your  duty,  peculiarly  to  cherish  and  practice  all 
the  virtues  and  sympathies  of  our  common  nature,  and  be 
sure  that  you  outrage  none.  A  cold  reception  or  indifferent 
approval  of  excellence,  in  any  shape,  is  always  proof  of  the 
absence  of  high  moral  or  intellectual  qualities.  The  man 
who  would  poise  his  own  gratification  against  the  compre- 


Ln 


• 


ELEMENTS   AND    PTTRPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  347 

hensive  interests  of  mankind,  is  indeed  low  in  the  scale  of 
intellect,  and  still  more  degraded,  in  that  of  moials.  And 
if  you  would  practically  assert  your  intended  value  in  the 
scale  of  moral  dignity,  your  principles  of  action  should  be 
rectitude  and  usefulness  in  life,  and  the  glory  of  virtue  and 
happiness  beyond  the  grave. 

Such  culture  will  lead  you  to  perceive,  further,  that  the 
noblest,  not  less  than  the  happiest  tendencies  of  your  nature, 
involve  the  constant  exercise  of  kindness  and  benevolence. 
It  is  in  the  induli^ence  and  manifestation  of  the  kindlier 
emotions,  that  we  are  to  look  for  the  deeper  and  purer 
enjoyments  allowed  liumanity  on  earth.  The  summons  of 
kindness  is  always  that  of  reason.  To  what  spectacle  can 
you  turn,  in  the  whole  range  of  being  or  action,  more 
intensely  interesting  than  that  of  cultivated  intellect,  beam- 
ing with  the  attributes  of  power  and  pity.  It  is  a  music 
which  never  stirs  upon  the  altar  of  the  heart,  without  its 
effect,  —  without  leaving  a  moral  behind.  It  awakens  the 
harmonies,  even  of  the  stricken  bosom,  not  unlike  the 
mysterious  music  of  the  Egyptian  statue,  before  the  coming 
of  sunrise.  "We  cannot  elaborate  here  ;  but  a  primary, 
universal  reason  for  the  result,  may  be  found  in  the  eternal 
truth,  that  "  God  is  love,"  and  that  man  was  made  "  in  his 
image." 

Intimately  connected  with  this  view  of  the  subject,  in 
the  tendency  of  things,  is  the  importance  to  virtue  and 
happiness,  of  local  attachments  and  the  domestic  virtues. 
It  is  true  of  the  aflfections,  that  as  they  never  die,  so  they 
are  really  the  great  well-springs  of  action  and  enjoyment. 
On  the  virtues,  which  can  only,  here,  solicit  your  approval 
and  devotion,  by  the  way,  we  are  now  forbidden  to  enlarge. 
But  who  does  not  know,  for  who  does  noi  feel,  that  there  is 
a  mystery  and  sanctity, — a  sacredness  and  serenity,  ineffable 
yearnings  and  undying  affection,  connected  with  home  and 


348  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

family,  and  the  heart's  young  dreams,  and  more  adult 
affinities,  infinitely  more  favorable  to  worth  and  vinue,  than 
the  selfish  and  alien  purposes  and  pursuits,  but  too  apt  to 
engross  thought  and  feeling,  when  the  young  and  aspiiing 
engage  in  the  construction  of  their  own  fortunes  !  The 
recollections  and  attractions,  the  touching  tenderness  and 
sympathies,  constituting  the  ties  and  memories  of  heanh 
and  home,  the  "  veneranda  dovucs  "  of  the  classic  ancients, 
templed  in  t,he  heart,  and  recalling  its  love  and  worship, 
^vill  become  the  springs  and  sources  of  virtuous  utility  ;  the 
path  of  domestic  endearment  will  be  strewed  with  flowers, 
the  privileged  pleasures  of  aft'eclionate,  confiding  inter- 
course !  These  influences  are,  in  fact,  the  dew  of  the 
heart;  and  they  water  the  mind,  and  keep  it  from  withering. 
These  reflections  may  strike  you,  as  loo  unimportant  to 
receive  the  prominence  we  have  given  them,  but  when  you 
appeal  to  the  hallowing  and  tranquilizing  influences  of  tiiese 
virtues,  contrasted  with  the  scenes  and  excitement  of  dissi- 
pation, and  the  cold  and  heartless  quarantine  of  the  sense- 
less, the  worse  than  silly  etiquette,  desiderated  as  essential 
to  tlie  existence  of  good  society,  in  its  modern  organization, 
you  will,  perhaps,  find  yourselves  without  reason  or  motive 
to  resist  the  claim  they  assert  upon  your  consideration.  It 
lias  often  happened,  in  the  history  of  our  kind,  that  when 
every  claim  of  Heaven  and  earth  beside,  has  failed  to  airest 
the  progress,  or  prevent  the  issues  of  vice  and  worthless- 
ness,  the  atta(;hments  and  virtues  of  which  we  speak,  have 
succeeded;  and  they  operated,  as  the  last  salutary  clause  in 
the  creed  of  liumanity.  Confining,  however,  the  applii^ation 
of  our  remarks,  to  the  ordinary  walks  of  life,  theiv  ai'c  few 
classes  of  emotion  so  well  calculated  as  this,  to  impart  to 
the  mind,  and  breathe  over  the  soul,  that  nameless  tran- 
quillity,—  the  real  otium  of  Horace,  so  grateful  to  all,  and 
yet  felt  and  shared  but  hy  few. 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  349 

Amon"'  tlie  results  of  enlar^-ed,  liberal  information, 
decision  of  character  will  be  found  to  rank  liigh.  Wo 
only  think  and  feel  with  the  wiser  and  better  part  of  man- 
kind, when  we  despise  the  individual,  (for  character  he  has 
none,  being  but  the  vulgar  fraction  of  a  man,)  who  cap 
mold  his  views,  and  shape  his  tastes,  to  suit  the  society 
and  position  in  which  he  is  found  ;  and  accommodate  his 
opinions,  and  even  his  virtue,  to  the  notions  and  jjrejudices 
of  others,  —  of  all  about  him.  We  are  compelled  to  feel 
contempt  for  him  who  trims  and  veers  his  little  vessel  to  ♦ 
catch  the  favoring  breeze  of  popular  opinion,  —  or  rather 
clamor;  and  who  has  no  judgment  or  aims  of  his  own,  only 
as  he  is  dictated  to  by  others  ;  whatever  ma}'  be  in  vogue 
about  him,  being  the  thermometer  by  which  he  graduates 
his  opinions  and  principles.  There  is  about  such  men,  no 
energy  of  patience  or  performance  ;  but  an  infirmity  of 
will,  a  feebleness  and  vacillation  of  the  faculty  of*dominion, 
whkih  will  not  allow  them  to  act,  in  accordance,  even,  with 
■what  they  approve.  They  blink  the  truth,  retreat  from 
tlieir  purposes,  and  purchase  after-regret,  by  concessions, 
disavowed  by  conscience  and  principle  ;  and  thus,  they 
make  shipwreck  of  conviction,  truth,  and  integrity,  upon 
ever-shifiing  shoals  and  sands  of  capricious,  conflicting 
circumstances.  Without  decision  of  character,  you  are 
never  safe.  Life  presents  a  thousand  accidents,  its  common 
seductions,  or  rough  and  angular  passages,  any  one  of 
which,  may  color  and  change  the  whole  contexture  of  your 
character.  A  sneer  only,  may  travail  or  thwart  your 
destiny  !  You  are  seen  paling  at  a  sarcasm,  ti'embiing  and 
retreating  before  an  epigram,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  private 
judgment  is  thus  hopelessly  merged  in  cowardly  compro- 
mise, at  the  caprice  of  others. 

Equally   important  is  it,   that  you   study   and   cherish 
consistency  of  character,  in  all  its  possible  phases.    Principle, 


350  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE. 

as  it  regards  judgment  and  opinion,  integrity  in  relation  to 
motive,  and  independence  in  relation  to  both ;  —  these  are 
the  great  elements  of  good  moral  character.     There  miist 
be  a  wholeness,  an  integrity  of  purpose  and  action.     A 
moral  parallelism  is  to   be  maintained,  in  every  position, 
and  at  whatever  cost.     He  who  is  thus  self-consistent,  and 
self-balanced,   amid   all   possible   change   and   vicissitude 
about  him,  finds  his  world  within  himself;  and  its  openings 
look  out  on  immortality.     He  imbibes  vigor  and  steadfast- 
ness, even  from  the  stream  of  change   about  him  ;  and 
wherever  seen,  or  however  occupied,  he  will  always  exhibit 
a  finely  balanced  equilibrium  of  both  judgment  and  passion. 
Thus  devoted  to  the  interests  and  purposes  of  intellectual 
distinction  and  moral  worth,  (and  the  latter  certainly  not 
less  important  than  the  former),  you  will  find  yourselves 
at  no  loss,  as  it  regards  motive  and  encouragement.     The 
signs  of  the  times  are  spreading  out  before  you  an  appro- 
priate field  ;  and  the  most  stirring  scenes  of  interest  and 
action  await  you.     Mind  is  everywhere  creeping  into  the 
mio-hty  mass  of  matter!     The  stagnant  ocean  of  human 
thought  is  convulsed  with  earthquake  change  !     The  pro- 
gress of  truth  is  everywhere  sundering  the  long-established 
bonds  of  mental  and  moral  association,  adverse  to  its  claims  ; 
and  nothino-  short  of  the  utter  extinction  of  human  nature, 
can  ever  ao-ain  restore  the  empire  of  the  world  to  ignorance  ! 
Behind  is  receding  darkness  :   before  you,  advancing  light. 
The  movements  and  occurrences  of  every  day,  are  rapidly 
sweUino-  the  train,  and  hastening  the  triumph  of  knowledge 
and  improvement.     Nothing  is  now  hidden.     The  means 
of  intercommunication  are  now  ample  and   facile  ;  and   the 
machinery  and  relations  of  modern  society,  are  such,  and 
so  constructed,  that  if  what  is  new  and  interesting,  in  the 
numerous  departments  of  knowledge,  science,  and  social 
development,  were  not  "  proclaimed  upon  the  housetop," 


4» 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  351 

the  whole  civilized  world  would  be  instantly  transformed 
into  a  vast  whispering  gallery,  and  their  feeblest  accents 
would  be  heard,  throughout  every  country  and  region, 
almost  as  soon  as  uttered  I  The  sun  of  mind  has  risen  on 
the  world,  never  to  set  !  The  powers  of  change,  of  dissent, 
and  revolt,  everywhere  at  work,  must  be  met,  and  directed. 
The  emergency  stands  out  visibly  before  the  collected 
mind  of  the  cultivated  world,  and  it  is  matter  of  urgent 
behoof,  that  it  be  disposed  of  with  a  grasp  of  understanding, 
a  breadth  and  energy  of  feeling,  worthy  the  interest  at  stake  ! 
And  allow  us  to  remark  here,  that  those  who  take  their 
stand  against  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  and  the  demon- 
strated value  of  liberal  learning,  as  thousands  do,  in  every 
community,  even  in  our  own, —  and  so  saying,  we  bequeath 
a  blush  for  the  shame  they  are  too  stupid  to  feel  !  —  such, 
we  say,  both  as  it  regards  the  wJien  and  the  where  of  their 
opposition,  have  taken  a  stand  most  unwisely,  and  inoppor- 
tunely, upon  advanced  ground,  which  they  will  find  already 
sapped,  and  ready  to  fall  in  with  them  !  Ages  have 
sanctioned  the  value  of  what  they  oppose,  and  distant  ages 
are  destined  yet  to  feel  it !  It  has  traversed  time  and 
distance,  entered  into  laws  and  causes,  and  triumphed  over 
chancre  and  accident  ! 

Many,  therefore,  and  forcible  are  the  reasons  why  you 
should  cherish  your  literary  recollections.  In  doing  so, 
you  will  dignify  the  ^;resen/,  and  consecrate  the  past. 
Recollections  of  this  kind  may  accompany  you  through 
life,  green  and  flourishing,  even  amid  the  sterility  of  years  1 
And  what  more  lofty  and  lovely,  than  the  memories  thrown 
back  upon  a  life  and  pursuits,  whose  aims  have  been  those  for 
which  all  thought  was  born, — the  possession  of  knowledge, 
and  the  practice  of  virtue !  By  the  mind's  reminiscent 
power,  of  which  we  are  speaking,  you  will  not  only  converse 
with  the  actual  scenes  and  interests  of  your  former  academic 


352  ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE, 

life,  or  literary  soliliule,  but  the  time-hallowed  throng  of 
those  that  were,  will  rise  before  you  as  a  \)v\n'^  presence, 
and  by  the  power  of  association,  tire  mind  will  become 
imbued  and  saiurate,  with  all  that  is  lovely  and  valuable 
in  the  past !  The  burial-places  of  memory  will  cast  up 
their  dead,  and  give  to  the  drama  of  your  intellectual 
conceptions,  a  kind  of  conscious  reality,  reproducing  the 
deli"-hts  of  taste,  and  the  discipline  of  truth  !  And  wliat 
more  grateful  to  the  human  heart,  than  thus  to  lift, 
anxiously  at,  least,  the  shroud  that  time  has  thrown  over 
your  buried  hopes  — hopes  that  in  their  birth  and  fruition, 
were  found  delightful  as  the  fall  of  fountains — dearer 
than  the  fabled  song  of  Houri  in  the  heaven  of  the  Moslem, 
and  revisiting  you,  ever  and  anon,  like  angelic  visions, 
descending  upon  the  dream  of  painter  or  poet  ! 

Foro-et  not.,  however,  that  correct  moral  feelings  and 
sympathies,  in  view  of  all  your  relations,  will  ])e  found 
essential  to  the  enjoyment  and  welfare,  whi'.-h  heaven,  to 
a  great  extent,  has  placed  in  your  own  keeping.  Your 
intellectual  and  moral  powers,  have  been  deemed  by  the 
Creator,  of  sufficient  importance  to  require,  not  meiely  the 
training  of  time,  but  the  discipline  of  eternity  ;  and  viewed 
in  this  aspect,  life  is  but  a  functional  gift,  and  should  be 
improved  and  appropriated  accordingly.  For  want  of  such 
views,  and  corresponding  action,  what  a  gallery  of  'prosti- 
tuted genius  are  we  presented  with,  in  the  pages  of  literary 
history !  We  invoke  —  we  conjure  you,  therefore,  in 
intercourse  with  man,  forget  not  your  compact  with  heaven  ! 
Let  truth  and  virtue  be  the  altars,  on  which  you  offer  the 
produce  of  the  heart !  Seek  a  principled  integrity,  as  the 
pervading  law  of  action  ;  and  let  it  become  the  guaranty  of 
tlie  proper  regulation  and  adjustment  of  all  the  subordinate 
elements  of  character  :  let  it  become  a  single  point,  toward 
which,  the  heart  shall  tend  and  tremble,  as  its  cynosure .' 


ELEMENTS    AND    PURPOSES    OF    LITERATURE.  353 

With  such  views  and  aims,  the  resultitii'-  advantai^es  will 
be,  at  once,  incalculable  ;  and  you  will  often  be  able  to 
cheat  desiinv  of  its  issues,  even  as  it  seems  to  overhang 
you  !  And  amid  life's  thick  contingencies,  of  whatever 
kind,  you  will  find  within  you,  a  majesty  of  purpose,  to 
dare  the  noble,  and  achieve  the  great  1 

In  CONCLUSION,  all  the  attainments  and  virtues  we  have 
urged  upon  your  notice,  will,  if  you  so  decide,  with  the 
blessing  of  heaven,  become  co-efficients,  in  the  construction, 
and  formation  of  good  character.  And  thus  chastened,  and 
so  prepared  for  whatever  may  be  before  you,  your  mental 
and  moral  energy  will  be  found  increasing,  in  an  inverse 
ratio,  with  the  declining  body  !  And  how  vast  and  varied 
the  field  of  interest,  upon  which  we  are  now  entering  !  A 
long  career  of  opening  glory  spreads  out  before  you,  and 
3'our  latter  days  go  down  the  vale  of  years  in  peace!  The 
pupilage  of  earth,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  time,  are  passed 
in  peace  with  man,  and  communion  with  God  1  The 
future  successively  nnfolds  its  revelations  to  your  gaze, 
livingly  suffused  with  the  hues  of  immortality  !  You  are 
prepared  to  leave  the  world,  in  all  the  brightness  of  honor, 
virtue,  and  moral  accomplishment,  without  any  twilight  of 
diminished  lustre  ;  knowing  that,  in  heaven,  you  renew 
your  intercourse  with  the  wise  and  the  good,  where  friend- 
ship is  uninterrupted,  and  virtue  eternal  !  Nor  is  this  all, 
you  liave  not  survived  your  usefulness.  The  benefits  of 
tim*^,  distributed  by  you,  shall  be  revealed  amid  the  glories 
of  eternity  1  The  thoughts,  feelings,  and  actions  of  your 
lives,  have  added  to  the  light  and  virtue  of  the  universe  ; 
and  heaven  and  earth  unite  in  assuring  you,  that  by  how 
much  humanity  is  your  debtor,  by  so  far,  God  will  be  your 
friend,  to  honor  and  reward  !  And  not  only  shall  your 
names  descend   to  distant  ages,  fragrant  with  blessing,  as 

those  who  have  lived  well  themselves,  and  died  with  the 
VOL.  II — 30. 


354  ELEMENTS   AND    PURPOSES   OP   LITERATURE. 

concern  of  others  in  their  hearts,  but  posterity,  draped  in 
the  mantle  of  your  inspiration,  shall  become  the  arbiter  of 
your  merits,  and  the  light  of  the  future,  never  cease  to 
reveal  and  accredit  your  deeds  and  achievements,  as  still 
widening  the  foundations  of  human  hope,  with  the  progress 
of  the  world's  history,  and  multiplying,  throughout  the 
universe  of  God,  the  possibilities  of  eventual  excellence  and 
final  good ! 


«V.' 


MHitatiuit^ 


or   THE 


M.  E.  CHURCH,   SOUTH. 


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descriptions  and  anecdotes  blend  the  charm  of  romance  with  the  credi- 
bility of  truth. 

SCRIPTURE  VIEWS  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  WORLD.  By  J.  Edmondson, 
A.M.    18nio,  pp.  249.    Price  35  cents. 

A  neat  edition  of  a  book  which  takes  rank  with  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest — 
to  which  groat  work  it  is  in  some  respects  superior. 

TRIAL  OF  THE  WITNESSES  OF  THE  RESURRECTION  OF  CHRIST. 
By  Bishop  Sherlock.    With  an  Introduction  by  Thos.  0.  Summers. 
18mo,  pp.  137.    Price  30  cents. 
This  masterly  work  is  got  up  in  convenient  form  and  beautiful  style. 
The  lutroduetion  coutains  ti  brief  biography  of  tk«  illustrieu*  autbtt. 


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